The Natural in Supernatural
by Mickibelle
Summary: Set upon finding herself Bella breaks free from her imagined chains and leaves Forks. In a new town, with secrets of its own and people with incredibly complicated lives, she stumbles upon a bigger secret—a secret that has been kept from her for 18 years.
1. Breaking Free

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Twilight_, _The Vampire Diaries _or any of its characters.

**A/N:** This is my first fanfiction and I will honestly tell you that I'm nervous, but I've had this story in my head for quite a while now and I thought it was time to do something about it. :)  
>This story takes place at the end on <em>New Moon<em> and after episode 15 of season 2 of _The Vampire Diaries_. So **SPOILER ALERT(!)** for those of you who haven't seen the episodes or haven't read_ The Twilight Saga_. Everything that has happened up until then has also happened in my story. Only a few small things have changed. Bella and Edward never went to Edward's house after Bella woke up, with Edward in her bed, when they had gotten back from Italy, Bella just simply fell asleep again.  
>It is possible that there will be a few more changes, but no need to worry about that now. I'll let you know.<br>A million hugs and thanks to my amazing friend melissaswilliamore13! Without her support I might not have posted this at all; you are truly kick-asswome ;) That is why I'm honoring you now by starting of my first chapter with a, slightly different, line from one of yours.  
>Okay, here goes nothing.<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1: BREAKING FREE<strong>

When I woke up I instantly knew where I was. I didn't feel disoriented like I had the last time. I remembered everything and feeling Edward's body close to mine made me believe, this time, that he actually was there and that it hadn't been a dream, just like Edward had tried to convince me of earlier.

I felt safe as I lay in his arms and the cold of his skin made me feel relaxed. But something was wrong, I could feel it in my body, but when I tried to think my mind protested. It was all a jumble in my head. Maybe I needed to wake up a little bit more first.

"Hey there, sleeping beauty," he whispered in my ear.

To hear his voice seemed so normal and ordinary, like everything was the way it used to be.

"Hi," I said with a raspy voice, my mouth was a bit dry.

My eyes stayed closed and it wasn't because I didn't want him to disappear, because he was really there, it was something more.

The emotion felt wrong somehow, like every part in my body was telling me that this wasn't what I was supposed to feel. My heart was the only thing that kept quiet. It knew what I was feeling and why I felt it. I was afraid. When the realization came to me I flinched a little bit. Just a moment ago I had recognized how safe I felt in Edward's arms and now I was afraid. It didn't make sense. My head yelled at me that I was being stupid. What was I doing? I was in bed with the most gorgeous guy in the world and I was afraid! He lay right next to me. Talking to me. He was not gone. He was back. He wanted me. He loved me. But he left. But now he's back. Because he loves me. Because he couldn't imagine a world where I didn't exist. But I had lived in a world where I could just as well have ceased to exist. I had been an empty shell. And I had been hurt. I had lived a life without Edward, when I might as well could have been dead. Because I hadn't lived.

That was the moment when I realized why I was afraid.

My eyes were still closed even though he knew I was awake. I didn't want to open them because when I did I knew who I would see. I would see the guy I loved more than anyone in the world and I would look into his beautiful golden eyes and I would fall into them. I wouldn't be able to think or speak. I would just look into his eyes and they would dazzle me and for a moment I wouldn't remember who I was. I would be trapped. Lose myself.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked and brushed my cheek with his marble hand.

"I'm fine," I answered and smiled but I wasn't sure how convincing it was. I loved him so much, so why was I scared of all those things?

"Are you sure?" Edward sounded concerned.

"Yeah, why?"

"You still haven't opened your eyes."

I didn't know how to answer that so I just stayed quiet, just like he did.

Then Edward chuckled.

"You don't believe this is a dream again, do you?"

"I can feel you, that's convincing enough."

"Then why are you afraid to open your eyes?"

"I'm not afraid!" I burst out quickly. Then I realized that he had meant it to be a joke. I felt a redness spread on my cheeks. I still didn't open my eyes.

"Bella," my heart ached when he said my name. "Tell me what's wrong," his voice was low and convincing and I heard a tone of confusion in there too.

"Okay," I said with a sigh. "But you can't do that eye thing that you do."

"What eye thing?" Edward asked in an innocent voice.

I would roll my eyes if I could.

"Edward, you know what I'm talking about," when I said his name I felt the same ache as when he had said mine. "I need to focus so that I can sort out a few things."

Edward pulled me closer and nuzzled his face to my neck.

"I thought we'd sorted out enough already," he said as he started to kiss my neck.

I had trouble thinking with his lips on my skin. I started having difficulty to breathe before I got hold of some of my thinking ability and made an effort to gently push him away. Edward noticed it and quickly pulled away from me.

"You can't do that either," I explained quickly. "I can't focus when you do that and, like I said, I need to focus."

"Okay," he sounded confused and I understood him.

The last time I woke up all I wanted was him to hold me and touch me and normally I would've had a hallelujah choir singing in my head at the thought of him kissing me like this. But something had changed and I had to tell him.

I finally opened my eyes and gave him a stern look, hoping it would be enough to get him to keep his promise. Edward just smiled and lightly touched my nose with his index finger.

I sat up on the bed and gestured to him to do the same so that we were sitting opposite each other. I took his hands in mine and watched as he intertwined our fingers.

I looked up at him and that small crooked smile I love so much was on his lips. I closed my eyes for a second. I didn't know how this conversation we were about to have would end. I just knew that I had to talk to him and that I needed him to know what he had done to me, even though it pained me to know that it might hurt him.

"Edward..."

I looked at his face, so incredibly beautiful, like it was carved by angels.

"You left me," I said simply.

My whole being was surprisingly calm as I continued speaking.

"You left me broken and hurt. You told me that you didn't love me anymore... And I believed you. I really did believe you. You hurt me more than anyone else could ever do."

Edward's expression told me that he didn't quite understand me, but he would.

"Bella—"

"Please, let me finish," I interrupted him, I needed to tell him this. "The worst thing Jasper, or any vampire, could do to me is to kill me."

I took a deep shaky breath.

"You took away my reason to live and made me keep living anyway. I was an empty shell. I looked alive but I was dead on the inside," It felt like I was just warming up.

I started to understand my own feelings more and more and the thoughts in my head made me understand what the words really meant, or what they would mean. My mind was clear. I knew what I wanted and what I had to do. It felt right. But I also understood what it meant and there was a strong pain in my chest, one that I couldn't ignore. The pain wasn't as strong as the one I had lived with for the past months, which was how I knew that I could get through it.

"Bella," Edward said and this time I let him continue. "I love you so much and I'm so sorry that I made you doubt that. But I do love you. So much that I was willing to leave to keep you safe. That's the only reason I left."

His voice was filled with despair.

"Yeah, you've already said that," I looked at our hands again when I said it.

He loosened his right hand from mine and lightly caressed my cheek.

"I'm here now and I will never leave you again," he gently squeezed my hand. "And I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to you, to make you feel like you can trust me again."

I knew that he meant every word.

"You don't understand," I raised my hand to his and pulled it away from my face. "I can't remember the months you were gone. It's all covered with gray mist, it's like I wasn't even there. I wasn't alive."

I took another breath to get ready for the words that were about to come out of my mouth.

This was it. It had taken me some time to realize it, but this was what I had to say.

"I love you so much and that has never scared me," I did everything I could to keep my voice strong and I was surprisingly successful.

I held back a sob and continued.

"What scares me is that my whole life revolved around you. So when you were gone I had nothing to live for and I didn't know who I was," I looked in to his eyes for a moment, not long enough to lose myself, but just enough to plead to him with my eyes.

I wanted him to understand. I needed it.

"You are my life," he said simply, just stating a fact.

"And you were mine," I replied. "Cant you see that that's the problem? It can't be like that again. I don't want it to be like that again. I don't believe that I became the wreck I was because I loved you as much as I did. I believe it was because you were my whole life."

I had said everything I needed and I suddenly felt a little lighter.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

It didn't really sound like a question when he said it, it was more like he already knew the answer and just wanted it confirmed. His voice was stiff and emotionless but I felt his pain, his eyes screamed out everything he was feeling.  
>"Yes," I said. "I'm ending this now, before it's too late. Before I fall in too deep again."<p>

I felt like the worst person in the world as I said it and the pain in my chest made itself heard again.

"You don't want me in your life," he summarized my words.

It felt so flat when he said it and unimaginable in some way, because who would not want Edward? But he was right. That was what I said.

I didn't say anything, I just kept holding his hands in mine, but my silence spoke for itself.

"I just want to know one thing," he said, lifting my chin up with his thumb and index finger so that he could look at me. "If you don't want me in your life why did you come to Italy to save mine?"

"Oh, Edward..." I rolled my eyes. "Why do you think?"

He deserved a wider explanation and that was what I was going to give him.

"I thought that was what I wanted. A life with you. I couldn't let you die. I love you and maybe a part of me always will. I couldn't see how the world could exist if you weren't in it."

I pulled my chin from his grip.

"And now you're back. Telling me that you love me. A few months ago I wouldn't have hesitated a second to rush back into your arms. And a few hours ago I was ready to do exactly that. But I can never go back to that horrible time. When you were gone I understood how obsessed I was with you. It was like I couldn't even breathe without you. I don't know who I am and I need to figure it out. I have to heal. That's what I want."

I knew that now when I'd seen Edward again it might extend the recovery time a while, but I was as determined as ever to find myself and I knew that I could do it, because I'd already been down that road once before and I'd almost reached the end of it. With the help of Jacob. I knew that he would still be my friend, whatever I decided to do next.

This time I was the one who raised my hand and touched his cheek.

"I love you," he said, not asking anything of me, just stating a fact again.

"I know."

It felt harsh but I couldn't tell him anything else. It wouldn't be fair to anyone. I knew that I was making the right choice.

I looked into his eyes. They were so filled with sadness that I didn't for a second doubt that they would be filled with tears if they could. My eyes stayed dry.

It felt like the end of our conversation. I had broken up with him.

"You should go now," I didn't mean for it to come out as a whisper, but it did.

Edward leaned forward and took me in his arms, just hugging me. After a while I hugged him back. He kissed me on the forehead before he stood up and walked up to the window.

The sun was just about to rise and the sky began to brighten. He turned back and looked at me one last time. Then he was gone.

I lay down on the bed, feeling the cold where he'd been sitting just a few minutes ago. I let a few tears drip from the corners of my eyes before I curved into a ball.

The window was still open and the rising sun threw its light on the floor. I was lying with my back to the window so all I saw was the shadow on the floor when someone jumped in through it and with a gentle thud landed on the floorboards.

"I thought I told you to leave," I whispered in the dark, turning on the bed so that I could see him.

But it wasn't Edward. I couldn't see a face since the early morning light was blocked by the person standing in front of my window, but the short styled hair completely gave her away.

"Alice..." My voice broke as I began sobbing and Alice flew gracefully across the floor and lay beside me on the bed.

"Oh, Bella..." she whispered in my hair as she hugged me and held me tightly to her body.

"I'm so sorry..." I cried out continuing to sob hysterically.

She made a calming noise as she continued to stoke my hair.

I allowed myself to lie like that for a minute. I hadn't cried when I'd talked to Edward and it was like all the tears had been gathering, just waiting for the right moment to drop and now there was nothing stopping them. Then I took a deep breath and pulled away from her so that I could see her face.

"Why are you here?"

"Bella..." Alice sighed, like I should know the reason already. "I saw you... like this. Crying alone on your bed. And I waited for Edward to show up and lie next to you, to comfort you, but... he didn't. I just saw you lie here alone. So I didn't think, I just ran."

I lay there quiet for a moment, listening to my own breathing and looking at her beautiful face.

There I was, lying on the bed, comforted by the sister of the boy who's heart I'd just broken. It felt disturbed and made me sick to my stomach.

I dried my eyes with the back of my hand and sat up on the bed. Alice did the same and I wrapped my arms around my legs while turning my head to look at her. I didn't know what to say to her, but it felt like a good start to tell the truth and tell her about the thoughts that had been intruding on my mind since I realized I couldn't be with Edward anymore.

"Alice, I love him. I love all of you. But did you see what it did to me? I know now that I can live without him and that's what I need to do. I didn't remember who I was without him and maybe I've never known that. I need to figure out who I am. I need to start my own life. And maybe—"

"You can't do it here," Alice interrupted me and finished my sentence.

I nodded, I didn't know what else to do.

"Where will you go?"

That was the question. I had no idea and I couldn't fool Alice, she'd know the second I'd made a decision.

"I don't know," I told her truthfully. "But I'm eighteen now and I'm old enough to make my own decisions. As long as I promise to finish high school Charlie will have no reason to keep me here."

Everything I said was true and it made me feel like I finally was in control of something and it made me feel good. Better than good.

"Maybe I'll go live with my mom again. After all she did want me to just a few months ago."

"That sounds like a good idea. Get some sun on your cheeks, you're starting to look pale," she smiled at me and leaned forward to hug me. "I'm sure she'll be very happy to see you."

I hugged her back and closed my eyes.

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><p><strong>AN:** What did you think? :) Review please!


	2. The Dream

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Twilight_, _The Vampire Diaries _or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN: **This story takes place at the end of _New Moon_ and after episode 15 of season 2 of _The Vampire Diaries_. So **SPOILER ALERT(!)** for those of you who haven't seen the episodes or haven't read _The Twilight Saga_. Everything that has happened up until then has also happened in my story. It is possible that there will be a few more changes, but no need to worry about that now. I'll let you know.  
>I just want to say that you guys are amazing! I really didn't expect this kind response and I can't tell you how happy it makes me :) I really wanted to write a strong Bella in my first chapter, one that can think for herself and I'm glad that you think I succeeded.<br>I also want to remind you to please review. It really helps me a lot to know what you think! :)  
>Okay, chapter 2, coming right up.<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 2: THE DREAM<strong>

I was driving down the highway in my red truck. Feeling... free, for the first time in a while. The windows were rolled down all the way and air swept into the car. The cool air felt nice on my face.

I couldn't understand what had kept me in Forks all this time. Though I hadn't thought of it like that at the time, I had been imprisoned. A prisoner in my own life, my own skin.

I was finally on my way now. It was time to move on, for real this time, as the real me and not the zombie version of me.

A feeling grew inside me, the feeling that I could do anything I wanted, be anyone I wanted and go anywhere I wanted to go. Suddenly it dawned on me. I had no idea where I was going. It was strange. Had I just gotten into my car and started driving? That was not like me, I usually had a plan, or at least some sort of sense of what I did. I couldn't even recall saying goodbye to Charlie, that was even less like me.

I looked over to the passenger side and noticed the map that was spread across the seat. It was obvious that at some point I had known where I was going. Next to the map lay a little piece of paper with something written on it.

I quickly glanced out the windshield, but there was no oncoming traffic so I took my eyes of the road again. I turned my attention towards the note and picked it up. It looked like some sort of address. Maybe my new residence? I raised my eyebrows and studied the letters. They were written in my handwriting. It was weird, I had no memory of writing it down, but it did stir up something in my head; something about this place sounded familiar.

_Mrs. Flowers' Bed and Breakfast  
><em>_Mystic Falls, Virginia_

Was it even an address? There was no street name or anything, all it said was the name of the town and what I assumed was the name of an Inn. Why was I going there?

I started to get really confused and feel very uncomfortable in the whole situation. I decided to stop the car and try to figure out what was going on. I needed to call Charlie, he felt like the natural choice and not just because I didn't have anyone else to call, but because he deserved at least a goodbye.

I looked in the rear-view mirror to see if there were any cars behind me and at the same time I caught a glimpse of my hair. It was thick and long... and curled. I never wore my hair like this. I couldn't even remember ever owning a curling iron. I snapped out of it and focused on the driving again.

There were no cars in sight so all I had to do was pull over to the side of the road. But I couldn't. Something was wrong and I suddenly couldn't move my legs. I tried to move my right foot from the gas but it was impossible, it was like it was glued to the pedal. The pedal was only pressed further and further down when I tried to remove my foot. The car accelerated. I was going fast now, too fast. Instinctively, I wanted to move my other foot to hit the brake but I couldn't move that one either. I threw a quick glance down. The left foot was steadily placed on the floor, the high heel digging into the rubber carpet. Wait a minute, high heels? Since when did I wear high heels? I frowned and looked out the side window. There were no other cars than mine on the road. Which highway was this? Where were all the other drivers?

The car was moving faster than I had ever driven before. I started to get scared. But wait a second, I was driving my truck... and I flew down the highway. Fast. Everything was a blur around me. What was this? My truck couldn't even get up to this speed, not even near this speed. What the hell was going on?

I started to feel like Sandra Bullock in the movie Speed. Accept that there was no hot guy there helping me to keep control over the car and boosting my confidence.

I was in panic as I tried to move my foot off the gas again, but it was hopeless. I tried to move the wheel but it wouldn't budge; I wasn't in control of this car. The car kept accelerating with me in it. Towards an unknown town. Mystic Falls.

I sat up abruptly in the bed. I was breathing heavily and sweat trickled down the side of my face. It was like I had just run a marathon with something pressing on my chest and now I could finally breathe again. The sweat made my clothes stick to my body.

It had been a dream. It had all been a dream.

I covered my face with my hands, trying to calm down. My heart was racing fast. I was almost afraid that it would pound through my chest.

I ran my hands through my hair and saw that I was tangled in the sheets. As I tried to untangle myself I looked at the clock beside my bed. 9.00 am. That meant I had gotten a few more hours of sleep after Alice left. All together, I had slept a long time.

When I had managed to untangle myself I sat still for a moment and listened intently. I could hear a slight banging coming from the kitchen. It sounded like Charlie tried to make breakfast all by himself. I smiled a tiny smile and decided to let him try. I mean, how badly could he screw up breakfast? And these past days had been hard on him. I had been hard on him.

I got out of the bed and slid across the room. I took my little toilet bag with me as I slipped out of my room and into the bathroom.

I didn't want Charlie to see me like this. I had no idea how I was supposed to act in front of him. Everything had changed, I was not the same person as before Edward left me and not the same as after. I just needed him to see that.

I was going to go down and talk to him and something told me that he would be even more positive to the possibility of me moving away from Forks now than during my depression. After all, the person who destroyed his daughter was back in town.

I looked at myself in the mirror over the sink. I didn't look long; I turned away after just a few seconds. I was a mess and I didn't need to see it. I just needed to change it.

One thing had changed though, I thought as I got undressed and stepped into the shower. There was life in my eyes again. If it was enough to make me see it, Charlie would see it too. I was getting better. And I was going to continue with that.

I could feel the smell of toast from the top of the stairs as I walked down to the kitchen. My hair was still wet and smelled like my strawberry shampoo. I had done my best to try and cover up the dark circles beneath my eyes and I was wearing a purple T-shirt and black jeans. I felt... good.

I smiled as I walked into the kitchen. Charlie was setting the table and I heard the sound of the coffee maker from the counter.

"Good morning, Dad," I said and sat down on my usual seat.

Charlie looked at me with a numb expression. He sat down on the other side of the table and clasped his hands together.

"Really, that's what you think, Isabella?" he said as he continued looking at me with hard eyes. He didn't seem like himself, he never called me Isabella. He didn't behave like he used to.

I looked back at him. It quickly turned in to a game of who-can-stare-the-longest-without-saying-anything. The only difference was that my eyes wasn't challenging, they were embarrassed and understanding at the same time.

Charlie spoke first. I figured I owed him to speak his mind.

"I don't have many rules, Bella," he started. The beginning of a Father speech. His first. "I didn't think I needed them with you. You were always so responsible. Always so... good. And then you go and do something like this," he just shook his head and let his gaze drop down. He was disappointed. And scared. And relieved. I saw it all now. I had done this to him. I had caused him this much pain. He was angry too.

"You're grounded," he said and looked at me again, waiting for me to say something. Object maybe. I didn't. I just nodded and held his gaze. "And you're not seeing that boy again under my roof, is that clear?"

There they were. The words I waited for. The words that confirmed what I already new. He didn't want me to see Edward anymore. Then we were on the same page, but the child in me still felt like objecting and act childish, just like always when someone was trying to tell me what to do. I pushed the feeling as far down as I could.

"Okay," I said. Charlie looked surprised. He certainly hadn't expected that.

"But you have to know one thing," I said as I leaned over the table and took one of his hands in mine. The action felt foreign but fitting. "None of this is Edward's fault. He wasn't the one who dragged me away. That was my choice."

"Maybe," Charlie answered, his voice was calmer and he squeezed my hand. "But if it hadn't been for him you wouldn't have gotten sick. And I wouldn't have lost you," his voice broke on the last word. He made a noise and looked down at the table, hiding his face from me.

He was crying. My Dad, the guy who carried a gun on the job and saw the most terrifying things, was crying.

This was new for us. We both had trouble expressing emotions and usually we stayed away from these talks, it was just easier. But as unusual as it was and as uncomfortable that it made me feel, it also felt right, because there was no other way to do it. And suddenly it didn't feel as hard anymore.

"Dad," I said. He didn't look up. I hugged his hand.

"Hey," I said, waiting for him to look at me before I continued. "Dad, I'm fine."

He shook his head again. There were tears in his eyes.

"I promise you, I'm fine now," it was heartbreaking to look at him. I got up and walked over to him and hugged him. He was still leaning over the table.  
>"That's never gonna happen again, okay? And there was nothing more that you could have done. Anything you could have done, you did, alright? I love you, Dad. You looked out for me."<p>

Charlie turned and stood up so that he could hug me back properly. "I love you too, Bella," he said into my hair. He kissed me on the head and let go of me, then he stroke my cheek with his thumb. I smiled at him.

"Do you want some coffee?" I asked while making a gesture towards the coffee pot.

"Yes, thank you," he answered with a smile. I smiled back again and turned towards the counter. I poured some coffee in his mug as he sat down at the table again. I poured some for myself and put the pot next to us on the table in case someone wanted a refill.

I sat down at the table and reached out for the toast and the jar of jam.

"Dad, do we know a woman called Mrs. Flowers? I asked him and took a bite of the bread. It was delicious, but the weird dream demanded my attention, making me ask him the question.

"I don't know," he said and lifted his mug to take a sip. "But it does sound familiar. Why?"

I shrugged and took a sip of coffee too.

"It was just a name that popped up in my head," I couldn't tell Charlie that it was something I had read of a note in a dream. He probably wouldn't dismiss it, but he wouldn't take it seriously either and I couldn't risk that. For some reason it felt too important, like I needed to get to the bottom of this dream.

"Why don't you ask your mother? It might be someone she knows," Charlie suggested, taking a huge bite of toast. I nodded.

"Why aren't you at work?" I asked him, realizing now that it wasn't usual for Charlie to still be home at this time. Fridays were often his busiest day, the last day before the weekend. I licked some jam off my upper lip.

"I decided to take the day off, a long weekend, to make sure—..." he stopped, his cheeks turned read in a way that I was very familiar with. "To make sure you were okay." He turned to his plate again. We both knew that was not what he had started to say. Not that he didn't care about if I was okay or not, but I knew real reason; he had wanted to make sure that Edward stayed away.

We kept eating under silence. Despite his recent revelation it wasn't a tense silence, we were just enjoying each others company.

I didn't bring up the idea of moving during breakfast. I wasn't completely sure how Charlie would react to me moving away from him and I thought that we had had enough of emotional outbursts for one meal. It was probably good for other reasons too, if I was going to move back with my mother I needed to talk to her first.

I knew that we were far from done discussing my unexplainable disappearance, but I didn't know how to explain it and, for the moment, Charlie seemed satisfied with my promise to not see Edward again, at least not in his house. Of course it was impossible for him to know what was going on in my head. Charlie didn't know that I didn't want to see Edward at all anymore.

After breakfast I walked up to my room again. Charlie had offered to do the dishes and I didn't protest. I had bigger things on my mind.

I sat down on my unmade bed and pulled up my cellphone from my pocket. I dialed the number and waited.

"Renée Dwyer speaking."

"Hi mom, it's me," I answered, feeling a warmth in my chest when I heard her voice. I hadn't talked to her in so long and it wasn't until now that I realized how much I missed her.

"Bella!" she replied, sounding genuinely happy but also surprised. I couldn't blame her. Even though our e-mails had tried to recover from my hazy months of nonexistence, I still couldn't remember the last time I actually talked to her.

"Hi sweetie, how are you doing?" she was trying to make the question sound innocent, but she had every reason to be concerned, she had seen me during my darkest time.

"Oh, I'm fine," I said, trying to sound as normal as possible.

I didn't want to dive right into the possibility of me moving to her in Florida, so I started off by exchanging courtesies.

"How's Phil?"

"He's doing great," chirped Renée happily. "I really think that signing with this baseball team is the best thing that could have happened, for both of us. Now when we're not moving around all the time we get so much more time together. It's like a second honeymoon!" I could hear that she was so excited that I was interested and acting normal again, and just like I had with Charlie I felt the weight of the pain that I had caused her.

"That's great, mum," I answered, feeling sad but at the same time so happy for her. She was happy, and I really liked Phil, he was what she needed. I realized that I couldn't move to Florida now, not when my mom was so happy, it wasn't the right time. I was her daughter, but I didn't want to be a burden. Disappointment swept over me for a few seconds, then I realized how selfish I was. I just had to figure out something else, a new plan.

Mom kept talking about baseball and the new house and I did my best to listen, but in the end my thoughts drifted away and my dream suddenly came to mind again.

"Mom, do we know a Mrs. Flowers?" I asked her as soon as she was done talking about a documentary about mountain climbing that had really inspired her, I hoped Phil could talk her out of that one.

"You mean Theophilia Flowers?" mom sounded surprised. "Yeah, she was your grandmother Marie's friend. You remember her? You mostly met her when we went to visit Gran when you were very young, about four or five years old, and the last time you saw her was at Gran's funeral."

I closed my eyes as I felt the aha moment increase. Of course. Mrs. Flowers. Fleeting memories of a small spirited woman came back to me. Most of the memories were of her laughing with my grandmother as they played cards on the porch or cooked in the kitchen, though she did most of the cooking while Gran watched. They were best friends. But one memory was stronger than the others. The memory of her hug.

_I was about eleven or twelve years old. The funeral was over and I stood beside Renée at the reception in my grandmother's house, as she talked to one person after the other who offered their condolences._

_I remember feeling so sad and at the same time so out of place, I didn't know what to do or what was expected of me._

_Suddenly Mrs. Flowers appeared before me. She took my hand and dragged me away from all the people. Her hand was warm and I clung to it like my life depended on it. At that moment it was the safest place in the world._

_She took me to a separate corner and put a cup in my hand, it was filled with tea and though I didn't really like tea I still drank it, out of politeness. She just looked at me with concern and eyes that were wide open and very empty. I had seen the same expression in the faces of several people that afternoon, the ones who didn't know how to express their grief._

_Mrs. Flowers bent down and looked me straight in the eyes._

"_I hope you know how much Marie loved you," she said, continuing to hold my eyes with her gaze. I just nodded._

_Then she took the cup from me again and held me tightly in her arms. I buried my nose in her silky lavender blouse, hugging her back. It was the warmest hug I had ever felt. She let go and looked at me again with a small smile on her lips._

"_I look forward to seeing you again sometime soon, Bella," she said. She turned away and took her black handbag form a nearby chair and left the house._

I returned from my flashback. We hadn't seen each other since then.

My mother kept talking about Mrs. Flowers.

"She was like a second mother to me when I grew up. And who knows, if Gran had been alive she might have turned out as another grandmother to you. She's a wonderful woman."

"When was the last time you talked to her?" I asked, still trying to pull myself together after the emotional flashback.

"It's so weird that you mentioned her now because I actually talked to her last week. She runs a B&B now you know, always been her dream but her back isn't what it used to be, finally realizing her own age, all that mortality stuff. Anyway, she can't really handle the stress. So I told her that she should get someone to help her out—" Renée had once again let herself ramble on and on, but this time she managed to maintain my full attention.

Mrs. Flowers ran a B&B. She probably lived in Mystic Falls. The note from my dream suddenly made much more sense. That explained why the name of the town had set of an alarm in the back of my head. I had heard it before.

I didn't think, I just acted. It was time for me to do something impulsive for once.

"Why don't I do it?" I cut off my mother in the middle of her sentence.

"Do what?" she asked confused.

"Help her. I can do it. Help her get rid of some of the load. There's a school in her town, right?"


	3. The Arrival

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Twilight_, _The Vampire Diaries _or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN: **This story takes place at the end of _New Moon_ and after episode 15 of season 2 of _The Vampire Diaries_. So **SPOILER ALERT(!)** for those of you who haven't seen the episodes or haven't read _The Twilight Saga_. Everything that has happened up until then has also happened in my story. It is possible that there will be a few more changes, but no need to worry about that now. I'll let you know.**  
><strong>Thanks to all of you who reviewed! You really make my day and you're what keeps me going when I stuck somewhere in my story.  
>Okay, and here's what you've all been waiting for!<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 3: THE ARRIVAL<strong>

I can't really describe the feeling of finally getting to move on. I had been waiting for this moment for months, ever since Jacob started to heal me, and now when it was here I couldn't describe the feeling. It was kind of like happiness, but with a different taste, sweet and bitter at the same time. But what I did feel, was relief.

I was panting as I carried my suitcase down the stairs and out the front door. Charlie stood bent over one of the truck's front tiers.

"Are you afraid they wont hold?" I asked him, with a bit of mockery in my voice. I put the bag down on the front steps, trying to catch my breath. Charlie looked up at me. Smiling a little.

"You can never be completely sure, not when it comes to this car."

"Hey, don't hate the truck," I said, playing offended. I stretched out my back a little before attempting to carry the bag to my car again. Charlie stood up and walked up to me.

"Here, I'll take that," he said and took the bag, carrying it easily down the steps and tossing it onto the back of my truck.

"Thanks," I said, reaching for my backpack lying just inside the door. I corrected my jacket and flung the backpack over my left shoulder.

"Is that all?" Charlie asked and put his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, that's it," I looked at him. I didn't know what to say know. I had dreaded this moment since it was decided that I was leaving. The goodbye.

My mother had been pretty easily convinced and grasped the idea of moving pretty quickly, but both she and I knew that Charlie might not be as easily convinced. I had talked her into speaking with Charlie for me, even though I knew that was something I should do. But when I'd thought about it I'd realized that I had a bigger chance to get to move away from this town if Renée was the one who tried to talk him into it. Because she wasn't the one who had been described as unstable for the past months. And she knew Mrs. Flowers, which would make it a whole lot easier for Renée to convince him that it was the right thing to do. No way he would let me go off alone to a strange town.

Renée had called Charlie just ten minutes after we hung up and I had listened in on the conversation the best I could, hidden, curled up on the top of the stairs.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Charlie had asked, I heard him pull a chair close to the phone so that he could sit down. "Yeah I know, but—... Of course, I will never forget that," I turned cold. And I knew it was true. He would never forget it. He would never forget zombie-Bella. He would never forget how I used to wake up at night, screaming. I continued to listen while my heart beating fast with anticipation and dread.

"Who was this woman again?...Mrs. Flowers?" I hid my face in my hands, praying that he wouldn't remember me asking about her at breakfast, or at least not be too upset, but I knew my father. I was so screwed. "Have you talked to Bella about this before you talked to me?" he raised his voice, anger only a heartbeat away. He stayed quiet for a while, listening to Renée in the other end. I held my breath. "Yeah, I get it... Yes... I know that it's her choice," his voice was calmer again, apparently Renée had managed to calm him down. She was good like that. "Uhu... If you think it's a good idea."

I breathed out. He was backing down, he was agreeing. I thanked my lucky star for whatever Renée had said to make him agree with her, but secretly I didn't want to know, because I knew that her arguments had consisted of how broken I had been and I didn't need another reminder of how badly I had wounded Charlie, and myself.

I stood up and walked into my room. Their conversation had turned into one about the Cullens' return and I heard Charlie ask Renée that did she really think I would move from Forks now? He didn't know that I had already told my mother about Edward and that we had no plans to get back together. I suspected that that was what she told him.

As I entered my room I took out a medium sized suitcase from under my bed. I put it on top of my bedspread and started to pack. I didn't know when the move would happen but I thought that now when it looked like it would, I might as well get started and I wanted to get it done quickly. It was my senior year, not the best year to change schools, the more reason to get there and settle in as soon as possible, before I lost to much time. Charlie probably wouldn't say no to a quick removal of Bella from Ewdard either.

Now I stood in front of the house, beside Charlie and I was ready to go. It was Saturday and 1.30 in the afternoon. Charlie had offered to drive me to the airport in Port Angeles, but he hadn't objected when I turned it down. I needed to do this by myself, from the beginning. I would drive my truck to the airport parking lot and Charlie would pick it up there later. That was another reason why I wanted to drive there by myself. I wanted to say goodbye to my truck. I wasn't a nostalgic person, but I really loved this car, and through everything it had been one of the few things of stability in my life. It had stayed untouched, unaffected.

Charlie looked at me. I adjusted the backpack, pulling on the strap.

"Don't forget our conditions," he said.

I smiled a little as I repeated them in my head. I had to call Charlie at least once a week and let him know how I was feeling and how I was doing in school, which was also part of the other condition; if I didn't do well in school I wouldn't be allowed to stay in Mystic Falls. The second condition seemed kind of weird to me, since it would be even worse to move me from yet another school and tear me up from my studies again, but I didn't argue with him. I was actually very excited about Mystic Falls. The third condition was that I had to promise to keep e-mailing my mother. That was more her condition than Charlie's but he wanted that just as much as she did and he didn't have to tell me twice. I gladly kept our contact and not just because Charlie had gotten me a laptop, I actually felt very guilty and uncomfortable with that part, but because I wanted my mother to know that I was getting better.

"I won't," I answered him. The corners of my mouth dropped down again. "Dad, don't tell anyone where I'm going, okay?" I looked at him as I said it. He just nodded. He knew who I meant with anyone, and even though the Cullens would have no problem finding me if they wanted to—that's the advantage of having a psychic and mind reader in the family—I wanted to make sure that he didn't tell anyone else we knew either. It wasn't anyone else's business anyway. "Not even Jake," I added.

"Bella..." Charlie said, like that was to ask too much of him.

"Come on, Dad," I said sighing. "It's just easier that way, how else am I supposed to move on?" I knew that Charlie hadn't realized it, but after losing Edward I had gone from one addiction to another. Like a junky switching heroin for cocain. But I had seen it. I had begun to build up an addiction to Jake, a different kind but still just as powerful, I had needed him like you need air or the sun. He was my own personal sun. But I didn't want any of that. I didn't want to depend on someone else that much.

"Okay, Bells," he said, although I saw in his eyes that he wasn't happy about it.

"Could you make sure he gets this?" I reached into my pocket and held out a folded note. Charlie just looked at the piece of paper and I knew that he would let me know exactly what he was thinking about it, he had managed to keep his disapproval to himself before but now he couldn't hold it in.

"Don't you think he deserves more than a note?"

I was angered by his words.

"It's not really any of your business, Dad,"

"You're right, it's not," he said, holding his hands up, palms outwards. "But he was there for you. He brought you back."

I didn't know how to answer that, because in some way he was right. Jacob had helped me to stay alive. I felt devastated.

"I tried calling him, he didn't pick up. He doesn't look at our relationship the way you or I do, it was always more to him. He was my friend, my best friend, and now he can't even pick up the phone. I know I hurt him, but he hurt me too. Can you please just give this to him?"

Charlie looked at me for a while, then he turned his eyes to the note and took it. "Okay, Bella."

"Thank you," I sighed with relief, walking a little closer to the car. It was time to say goodbye. Charlie followed me to the car door with a hand on my shoulder.

"It's gonna be strange, you not living under my roof."

"It's gonna me strange for me too," I smiled an uncertain smile.

"You know it's always gonna be your home, right?" he hugged my shoulder tighter, like he wanted to press the sentence in.

"I know, Dad. I love you," I took one step closer to him and hugged him.

"I love you too, Bells," he said after hugging me a while, then he let go and I saw that his nose was twitching, he was trying to hold in the tears.

"I'll call you when I get to the airport," I said and turned towards the car door, I didn't want him to see that my eyes were filled with tears. I looked quickly over my shoulder and gave him a smile.

"Okay," he said, smiling a sadder smile back. "Take care of yourself."

I opened the door, took one last look at the house and got into the truck. I started to drive away and I could see Charlie in the rear-view mirror, looking after me. I stared straight ahead, keeping my eyes on the road. I had a long journey ahead of me, both mentally and literally.

I stroke a few strands of hair that had gotten loose from my ponytail away from my face. I was feeling very comfortable in the truck and my clothes also made it easier to relax a little. I was wearing black sweatpants, a white v-neck shirt with a black leather jacket and white running shoes, for once I had been able to leave my raincoat in my suitcase.

It would be a long trip to Mystic Falls. I would have to change planes several times. I just hoped that everything would work out and that the planes would take off at the appointed time. The plane from Port Angeles left at four. I had plenty of time to get there.

My mother had called to book my ticket that Friday, she had also called the high school in Mystic Falls and they expected me to be there on Monday with my transcripts and some of my papers, the ones that they hadn't already received from Forks High School, and to receive my class schedule. The fact that I was traveling at night worried me quite a bit. I would try to get as much sleep as possible on the plane, I didn't want to arrive half dead in Mystic Falls.

I kept thinking about the dream I had had the night before Friday and moved my feet tentatively, I was still able to move them. I laughed a little at myself and my laugh broke through the tense atmosphere in the car, I felt ridiculous, it had just been a dream.

As I drove down the roads of Forks I realized that there were some things that I would come to miss, and I wasn't that thrilled to be the new girl again either. I was reminded of that Jacob wasn't the only friend I had had to say goodbye to. Earlier that day, before I called Jacob and was left with the phone signals as the only answer, I'd called Angela. It was just so natural. When I thought about all the people at school, she was the only one I wanted to call.

I had told Angela that I was leaving town to go help an old friend of the family. I didn't tell her where I was moving or how long I was gonna be gone, just that I had transferred to another school. And knowing Angela I knew that she would settle with that information and she did, she was so easy to talk to and so easy to like. She was different from the other girls at Forks High, she wasn't like Jessica, who would have made me spill everything if she had been the one I called. Angela just told me that she would miss me and hoped that everything turned out okay with my friend. She also made me promise to keep in touch, and that was a promise I intended to keep, just not right now, but some day in the future, I wanted to keep the good things of my past. But right now I needed to focus on moving on, and that was exactly what it felt like I was doing as I left Forks incredibly green forests and gray skies behind. I was moving on.

Thirteen hours later I arrived at the airport in Richmond, Virginia. I was a bit tired but far from exhausted. The hours of sleep on the planes had been pretty rewarding. The worst part of the travel was the hours between connecting flights, which had felt like an endless wait. Fortunately I had brought a few books with me in my carry-on, so Heathcliff and Mr. Darcy, among others, had kept me company through the long hours.

I pulled my hand across my face, drying away a little sweat. I desperately needed a shower and some new clothes. I look around at the crowded airport, looking for the nearest bathroom. I quickly found a sign for it and beside it, something else. Showers. I hadn't really thought of that possibility but now I felt utterly grateful. I hurried towards the direction the sign pointed in, dragging my suitcase, which had wheels, behind me. I held the strap of my backpack with my other hand.

Some time later I was newly showered and wore clean, new clothes. I felt like the best me I could be in my dark blue jeans, an airy, green blouse with some small flowers on it and a black cardigan, white sneakers and the same black, leather jacket, which I hung casually over my arm as I took my bags out of the airport. The somewhat warmer air made me feel sure about my choice to keep the jacket off. I left my hair released, to let it dry on its own. I was feeling slightly excited as a cab driver took my suitcase and I got into the car, but I was also a bit nervous, the kind of nervous that felt like you wanted to throw up and I was pretty glad that I hadn't eaten anything in a while, leaving my stomach empty.

"Mystic Falls, please," I told the driver when he got behind the wheel.

As he drove towards the unfamiliar town I felt a strange feeling starting to rise. I had been so caught up with planning the move and desperately wanting to get away from Forks to start a new life without craziness, that it wasn't until now that I'd really had time to think. What if none of this made any difference? What if I wasn't going to be able to move on here? What if nothing could help me move on? I didn't know anything about this town. I didn't know the people. A huge weight laid on top of my chest, I couldn't breathe. I quietly gasped for air, it felt like a panic attack. It was a panic attack, I realized as I leaned back in the seat. What had I gotten myself into?

We reached Mystic Falls rather quickly, but long enough for me to have a chance to calm down. We drove past the welcome sign and I saw the town in front of us. It was cute and looked nice. In some way it kind of reminded me a little of Forks, I didn't know why, maybe it was the small-town feeling of it all.

"What's the address again?" the driver asked, looking quickly over his shoulder.

"Uhm... I'm going to Mrs. Flowers' Bed and Breakfast," I answered, blushing. I didn't know the address.

"Sorry Miss, I don't know my way around here," the cab driver said, I could hear a small tone of frustration in his voice.

"That's okay. Just stop for a second, I'll ask someone," As soon as he stopped the car I got out and looked around. A breeze flew through my now dry hair, lifting it up from my shoulders.

It was over nine in the morning, local time, and not many people were out on the streets yet. Not that I had expected that, it was Sunday after all.

I asked the first person who walked by where the Inn was, and was immediately pointed in the right direction.

"You can't miss it, it's the big house to the left," she added. I thanked her and got into the taxi again, retelling what I had just found out.

I was close now, my stomach twitched. The driver followed the instructions and soon we reached a house on the left side of the road. I looked out through the window. It looked nothing like I had imagined it. It was big, big enough to be a B&B I guess, the facade was in shades of brown and in both stone and wood. It looked like one of those boarding houses you could see in old pictures from the beginning of the 20th century.

"I'll just go make sure this is the right place," I told the driver.

I walked up the driveway towards the front door. A few cars were parked outside the house, they were shiny and looked expensive. I found myself happy that I didn't have my truck, it would have made the same impression here as if I had had it in Phoenix, where luxury cars had filled the parking lot of the high school. Here, my old truck would probably have made the same impression as in Phoenix. It made me feel weird, to compare Phoenix to this town, since this was a small-town and Phoenix was... Well, Phoenix.

I took a deep breath before I knocked on the door, I felt nervous. I knocked as loudly as I could without banging on the door, I couldn't see a doorbell and this house was so big that it felt impossible that someone would hear me if they were in a completely different part of the house.

I waited for a while, contemplating if I should knock again or not. The cars were a pretty big indication that someone was home. I reached out my hand and at the same time someone opened the door. I was left standing with my hand in the air, probably looking like an idiot. I felt my cheeks turn red.

The person in front of me had black hair and blue penetrating eyes. He watched me with boredom. I let my outstretched hand touch my hair instead and pretended to correct it behind my ear. I tried not to let my gaze drop, even though I felt very uncomfortable with the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt and his low cut, black jeans showed more than I had expected to see from someone I didn't know.

It had only been a second or two since he opened the door, but it felt like much longer.

"Hi, I'm looking for—" He slammed the door in my face before I could finish the sentence.

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><p><strong>AN: **What a welcoming, huh? Guess whose house Bella has stumbled upon! ;)  
>Sound off about this chapter in the reviews! And what do you want to see in the next one?<p> 


	4. First Sight

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Twilight_, _The Vampire Diaries _or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN: **Thereare some truly amazing readers out there! Thank you for continuing to read my story and for all the positive feedback :) I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, we get to meet more characters(!), some of them recognizable and some of them maybe not...  
>Don't forget to let me know what you think in a review!<br>Love.

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 4: FIRST SIGHT<strong>

I raised my eyebrows and starred at the closed door. I was confused and at the same time astonished, and a bit angry. I blushed at the thought of it. How rude. Who the hell was that guy?

I was confident that this wasn't the place I was looking for, if it was they had a very interesting way of treating guests. I frowned. That meant someone actually lived here, I thought as I looked up at the giant house. It was kind of impressive. But if this wasn't the B&B I was in quite a pickle, I was lost. I rolled my eyes at the irony, lost on my way to finding... whatever it was I needed to find. I wasn't quite sure about that part yet.

I still needed to find my new home and for some reason, can't imagine why, the thought of knocking on the door again wasn't that tempting. I sighed, unsure of what to do next.

I heard the light sound of steps inside the door and then the sound of a hand touching the doorknob. Maybe it was the same guy coming back to apologize, regretting slamming the door in my face. I hoped he wore a shirt this time. As it turned out I didn't have to worry about that, it wasn't the same guy opening the door.

The first thing that caught my eye was his green eyes. They were captivating, in the same way as the black haired man's and when I compared them I saw other similarities, things that I couldn't put my finger on. It was something about the way he stood, something about his posture. He had brown hair and looked younger than the other guy, maybe about my age. He looked kind and wondering as he saw me, so much more welcoming. And he was wearing a shirt.

"Hi, can I help you?" he asked as he looked at me. I was right, way friendlier.

"Yes, hi," I answered as I tried to figure out what to do with my hands, they felt like dead fishes hanging down the sides of my body. "As I was trying to tell the guy who answered the door a moment ago, I'm looking for Mrs. Flowers' B&B."

The guy looked down quickly and then he looked up at me again with an apologetic look. "Yeah, I'm sorry about him. My brother he's... he's not having the best morning."

I appreciated his apology, but the way he said it made me sad, like he was used to apologizing for his brother and taking the bullet himself. I felt bad for being so edgy.

"It's fine, we all have bad days," I said, smiling a little and getting a smile in return. "I'm lost," I blurted out suddenly, like I wanted to underline my words with my situation. I blushed, looking down at the ground before I looked up again, meeting his eyes and noticing the hint of a pitying smile on his lips.

"Mrs. Flowers' B&B you said?" I answered him with a nod. "That's way up that road," he said gesturing with his hand. "It's quite a walk."

"I have a—..." I didn't finish the sentence, because when I turned around to gesture towards the taxi, I saw that it wasn't there anymore. My bags and jacket were left on the sidewalk but there was now sign of the car anywhere. I frowned. "What the...?" I turned back towards the stranger again. "That's weird. I didn't even pay him," I mumbled, mostly to myself. "Damn it."

"You know what, I was just headed out, I could drive you," he said as he rattled the keys. I opened my mouth a little, blushing at his offer and wasn't sure how to respond.

"Well... That's nice of you, but my mother always told me to never accept rides from strangers and... I think this would be classified as that. Thanks anyway.

He nodded and it was clear that he understood, but also that he was a bit surprised, and maybe even kind of respected me. "I get it. You don't know me."

"Yeah," I said, as I started to walk towards my stuff. I came to an abrupt stop and closed my eyes, giving in to a silent moan. "Which way?" I said while turning around towards him and blushing once again.

He smiled, pointing to the left. "Down that road. The big white house, you can't miss it."

"Thanks again," I said, then turning around again. "I've heard that before," I muttered to myself.

I felt his eyes on my back the whole way.

It wasn't that tough to drag my bag in the direction towards the B&B, I just enjoyed the fresh air and the view. I thought that it would be a good idea to check out the town after I had settled in with Mrs. Flowers, to see where I had ended up and perhaps to check out some stores and the location of the high school, I didn't want to get lost again tomorrow. Not the best first impression to be late on my first day of school.

A big white house came into sight, and when I got closer I could clearly see the wooden sign that said _Mrs. Flower's Bed and Breakfast_, that hung over the door, which you reached by walking across the porch that went along the entire front of the house. I walked over the graveled path towards the house, it was a little hard because the tiny stones got stuck in the wheels of my suitcase.

My heart was pounding when I reached the door and I smelled a faint sent of breakfast, my stomach growled. I rang the doorbell, I could hear the little tune play from inside the house.

"I'm coming!" I heard a loud voice yell.

A few seconds later a small woman with white, straight hair, which reached her chin, opened the door. She was wearing an apron and the smell I had felt just a moment ago hung like a small cloud around her. Her cheeks where somewhat red, from the heat of the stove I assumed. She was smiling pleasantly and wore the expression of the perfect landlady. She looked at me for just a moment as she dried her hands on a towel, then she abruptly stopped.

"There you are, I was just beginning to wonder," she said, her smile still on her lips. "Don't stand out there. Would you like some breakfast?"

Confusion wrestled with surprise inside me. "Yes, thank you Mrs. Flowers," I said, not making any attempt to step inside the door. Mrs. Flowers looked exactly like I remembered her. Her hair was a bit whiter and she had bangs now, but she was the same woman, no question about it.

"We don't have all day, dear" she said continuing to look at me, like she was searching for something.

I smiled apologetically as I stepped over the threshold and into the hallway. It was a beautifully decorated house, with a sense of clean to it, if clean is a sense. The hallway had a staircase that looked like it led the way to the other floors. I looked into the other rooms on the bottom floor and noticed a kitchen and what looked like a family room, it all had a very homy feeling to it.

"I'll show you to your room first and then we can have some breakfast," Mrs. Flowers said, and confirmed my suspicions that the rooms where on the other floors, by showing me the way up the stairs. "It's just you and me here at the moment."

"How did you know it was me?" I asked, as I carried my suitcase up the stairs after her, I did my best to try and not sound out of breath.

"Ah, Isabella," she said, shaking her head, stopping and looking over her shoulder at me, a genuine smile on her face. "I could never forget you," she continued up the stairs. "And," she giggled a little, "you look just like your mother did at your age," she giggled again and I couldn't help but smile too, because I knew how true it was.

"Except for the eyes," Mrs. Flower added. "Yours are a gorgeous brown, hers a beautiful blue."

I sat at the table in Mrs. Flowers' kitchen, eating the food she had put in front of me. It was blueberry pancakes, bacon, eggs and freshly baked bread and it all tasted delicious, but at that point it wouldn't have mattered what she offered me, I was to hungry to care. I took a sip of orange juice before I put a few more pancakes on my plate.

"This is great Mrs. Flowers," I said as I swallowed a bite of pancake.

"Thank you, dear" Mrs. Flowers answered and sat down opposite me. "It's my pleasure," She continued to study me as I ate, with an expression that I didn't quite understand, but that didn't feel unfamiliar.

"So, any plans for your first day in Mystic Falls?" she asked, smoothing out the white tablecloth with pink, embroidered flowers on it.

"I was thinking about taking a walk around town, you know, sightseeing," I said, watching her hand's movements over the edge of my glass, taking another sip of juice.

"That sounds nice," Mrs. Flowers smiled and then she got out of her chair and began to clear away the empty plates and saucers and her own coffee cup.

I finished eating and then I just sat for a moment, feeling the drowsiness, that comes with eating to much food, gush over me like a wave. How much had I eaten? Knowing myself I knew that a walk was what I needed and that walk around town seemed perfect right now. I got out of my chair, carrying my plate and glass to the sink.

"I'll take that, dear," Mrs. Flowers said.

"Are you sure?" I asked her, feeling guilty for putting all of that on her, I was not used to being waited on like that.

"Of course," she said. She put it with the rest of the dishes and then I saw her preparing the dishwasher.

"Okay then," I said, putting my hand lightly on my stomach for a second. "I think I'll take that walk now, if that's okay," I tried not to sound rude or like I thought that I could do anything I wanted, I was here to help her after all.

"Yes, that's fine," Mrs. Flowers said with a calm voice and then she gave me that look again that I couldn't quite place. "Go have some fun," she smiled again.

"And maybe when I come back we could talk about my...responsibilities here," I tried to sound indifferent.

"Responsibilities," she snorted. "Babysitting an old lady shouldn't be your responsibility."

She was standing with her back towards me and I smiled at her words. This was the woman I remembered.

"I'm not babysitting you," I said earnestly.

"But I am old?" she said as she turned towards me, leaning against the counter, giving me a teasing smile.

"Not yet," I answered, the corners of my mouth twitching. I took a few steps closer to her and told her a part of the truth, it just felt like I should and she was the first person to hear the words uttered. "Believe me, I'm here just as much for me as for you, if not more."

"I thought so," she said and now I recognized the look on her face when she fixed her eyes on me. The look of someone who knew more than they should. Had my mother told her about my recent state of mind? "We'll discuss the matter of your payment once you've settled in here."

I was confused. "Didn't my mother tell you that I'm not expecting anything?"

"Yes. Didn't your mother tell you that I said that I wouldn't allow that?"

"No," I shook my head.

"I do not want charity. Are we clear on that?" her voice was stern and I knew better than to argue with her.

"Yes, Mrs. Flowers."

"God. Then you go on your tour of the town now, Bella. And don't get lost," she winked at me and I frowned. Did she know? Or did she remember my bad sense of direction from when I was younger? She just laughed at my expression.

"I won't," I said, blushing. "But keep your fingers crossed."

I left the house with a strong feeling of satisfaction and content. Mrs Flowers was a tough woman, I liked that, I liked her, I always had.

It didn't take me long to reach the town square, which felt like the center of the town, everything circulated around it.

It was close to noun now and there were a lot more people on the streets now than when I first had arrived. Girls walking in groups of two or more, laughing and many of them carrying shopping bags.

It was a beautiful, although a bit cold, day and the outdoor seating at a restaurant called Mystic Grill were filled with people drinking coffee and sitting curled up under blankets and big scarfs, it looked cozy. A big clock tower pointed to the sky nearby, it was connected to the Police Station. I instantly thought of Charlie, part of me missed him already. I missed the feeling of having someone close to me, someone I could rely on and who could help me get through this, I really didn't like being the new girl. That kind of attention wasn't for me. I missed a friend. I used to be comfortable with being by my self and I couldn't help but wonder what had changed.

I sighed and pulled up the zipper on my leather jacket, and put on the gloves I had been wise enough to bring with me outside. I shivered and rubbed my nose against my green, knitted scarf as I walked across the square.

To find the high school wasn't hard. I watched the building from the parking lot, trying to imagine how it would be to go there. If I had been a girl who hadn't known about vampires and whose life always had been normal, without the mess of keeping secrets, maybe I wouldn't have looked at the this high school any different than I had looked at the one in Forks when I started there. But that wasn't the case, even tough I was kind of the same person I now held secrets of a world that was supposed to stay hidden from outsiders and those secrets now felt like a burden. I would never be able to tell anyone the true reason for arriving here, not the whole truth anyway. I would always be different from other teenagers, because I knew what truly was out there.

I was startled by something moving at the corner of the building in front of me. I saw it in the corner of my eye, just inside my field of vision. I turned a little towards it. A guy with brown hair and a gray hoddie walked over the grass, I watched him from a distance.

He held a basketball in a firm grip and the dark spots on his shirt was another indication that he had been working out. He looked up and spotted me. As he continued walking he watched me the entire time. I dropped my gaze to the ground for a second and then looked up again, still with his eyes on me.

He just nodded when he passed me, there was curiosity in his expression. I nodded back, turning my eyes to the school again.

When he reached the parking lot he began bouncing the ball, the sound of the rubber hitting the pavement had a sort of concluding sound to it and I sighed, letting go of my thoughts and expectations, tried to at least. I turned around and started walking back to the B&B.

My room at the B&B was one of the bigger ones, I had been told by Mrs. Flowers when she showed me to the room earlier that day, and it was big, big enough to fit a big bed, a desk and a huge wardrobe. My room was different from the others in one other way, I had a fireplace. For me that was one of the coolest things about my room, it gave it kind of an old-fashioned feeling, and I felt like I was living in a place from one of Jane Austen's books, I loved it. My room contained two big bookcases, one of them filled with books, some of them classics and some with names that were unfamiliar to me. The other bookcase was almost completely cleared out, it was for me to fill myself, with my own books. That part had really touched me, without words Mrs. Flowers had welcomed me into her house and it wasn't until now, when I put the few books I had brought with me on the self, that I felt like home.

It didn't take long for me to unpack my bags, put the clothes in the wardrobe and put out my few personal belongings. I spun around in the room. The white walls were pretty and clean and when I watched them it felt like I was watching my own clean slate, they were for me to fill with new stories.

My new laptop lay on my desk of oak tree. I sat down in the comfortable desk chair and opened my inbox. Unbelievably enough my mother had already sent me an e-mail, asking me about my trip and what I thought of the town. I wrote back, telling her about the amazing breakfast and that I had already managed to get lost. I also told her about my walk through the town and the atmosphere that I couldn't quite describe, just that the town only made me more sure of that I had made the right choice to come here. I finished of the e-mail and promised to write again tomorrow, after my first day of school.

I yawned a little, feeling the drowsiness from the nightlong trip wash over me. It had been a lot of first impressions in a short amount of time, it felt like a good idea to take a nap. I closed the lid of my computer and got out of the chair. I crawled up on the big bed with light pink covers, they smelled newly washed and I curled into a ball, feeling pleased as I pulled a blanket from the bottom of the bed over me. It didn't take long before I was asleep.

Everything went well the next day. Mrs. Flowers was kind enough to let me use her car, even though I assured her I was fine with walking. Everything went well when I got to school too. I went to the school office and a kind woman called Mrs. Clarke made sure everything was in order and handed me my schedule.

There were butterflies in my stomach as I went to my first lesson of the day. No one had payed any attention at all to me yet, in that sense it was completely different from my first day in Forks, they didn't seem as unfamiliar with strangers here and that gave me a kind of comfort.

I reached the classroom and took a few steps inside. Half of the seats in the room was taken but it was still a few minutes until the lesson started, so at least I wasn't late.

The teacher, a man who looked to be in his early thirties, stood bent over the desk right in front of me, at the top of the classroom, scribbling something on a paper. He had brown hair and light stubble and wore a blue shirt.

"Excuse me, is this history?" I asked as I took a few more steps towards him.

"Yes, you must be—" he abruptly stopped talking when he looked up at me. It was so sudden, like it was something holding him back from continuing. He kept looking at me, his whole being was frozen in the same expressions as he stared at me; surprise and confusion.


	5. Hello Mystic Falls

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Twilight Saga_, _The Vampire Diaries_ or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN:** It took some time but here it is, chapter five! Just wanted to let you know that your reviews is what have made me able to finish this chapter, because it was kind of challenging this time. But to read your thoughts and theories and excitement has been wonderful! I'm hoping for more of that :) Another thing I want you to know is that it may take a little while until I update next time, the rest of the story needs some planning if I'm gonna be able to write it so I'm gonna focus on that, and then I'll be back with, what I hope to be, some pretty awesome stuff :)  
>Love.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 5: HELLO MYSTIC FALLS<strong>

I smiled uneasily, but it quickly turned into a grimace. I didn't know if I should say something or what I should say in that case. It was weird, the way he looked at me. I had never seen this man before in my life and still he looked at me like he knew me. There was recognition all over his face.

"Sorry," he said hastily and let his gaze drop, shaking his head. I could see from his expression that he had just realized that he had been staring at me. "Isabella..." he looked at the paper on his desk. "I'm sorry, your last name completely escaped me," he laughed nervously, still not meeting my eyes.

"Swan," I said quickly, the whole situation made me feel extremely uncomfortable and I was still confused. Why had he stared at me like that?

"Isabella Swan, great," the teacher bent down and wrote it on the paper.

"Everyone calls me Bella," I told him out of habit, but the second after I'd said the words I blushed and felt the tension in the already strange atmosphere between us.

He looked up at me, still bent over the desk. He smiled and I saw the confusion in his eyes again when he kept watching me, inspecting me.

I tilted my head, trying to understand the reason to his behavior. His smile suddenly disappeared when he realized that he was staring at me again and he looked away as he rose from his bent position.

"Bella," he said, nodding. "I'm Mr. Saltzman. Here's your book. Please take a seat," he gestured towards the empty seats. I took the book and struggled to hold my head high and at the same time not tripping over my own feet. The people in the room didn't pay that much attention to me, they simply looked up when I walked past them towards one of the seats in the middle of the room. When I sat down I directed all my attention towards the History book, trying not to look lost. I didn't meet the eyes of any of the people taking a seat near me. That would obviously have been the most polite thing to do but for some reason I just looked down at my book and tried to keep the butterflies under control.

When class started I was happy to have something to direct my attention towards and to my surprise, and content, I actually liked history. It wasn't really anything I had thought of before, but I had always had a thing for the old school stuff, which was one of the reasons I loved Jane Austen's books so much. It made sense, if I liked the worlds of the old writers, I should like history as well. As the minutes passed I hung on to Mr. Saltzman's every word and for a few minutes I didn't worry about being the new girl, I was just one of the students.

"Next week you will start with a project," Mr. Saltzman said. My stomach turned, I dreaded the words that would come out of his mouth next. "You will be divided into pairs next class."

The bell suddenly rang and everyone started to gather their things and getting out of their seats. I sighed but tried to push away the negative thoughts, maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

"Class dismissed."

I gathered my stuff, trying to get out of the classroom as quickly as possible, partly because I didn't want to give Mr. Saltzman another chance to stare at me and partly because I didn't want to be late for my next class. I needed to find my locker, problem was I had no idea where to find it.

I was standing in the middle of the corridor, people crowded around me as everyone tried to get to their next class. I looked around with my schedule in my hand before I turned my face towards the classes printed on the paper. That was when I realized that my other classes would be a bit different. I had History with juniors and that meant that my other classes wouldn't be with the same people.

History hadn't been part of my schedule in Forks, which meant that I was now slightly behind, hence History with younger students. I sighed inside. Not that I had a problem with people who where younger than me, I mean some of my best friends were... hundred year old vampires. I shook my head to get rid of the thought. This just meant that if I would actually find some people to hang out with, none of them would have History with me and if they did they wouldn't have any other classes together, which meant that one way or another I would have to sit alone. Great, just great.

"Hey," someone suddenly stepped right in front of me and drew me away from my thoughts. I looked up and saw a guy with brown, styled hair smiling at me. He looked familiar, but I couldn't remember why.

"Hi," I said hesitantly, smiling back.

"You don't know me, but you're in my History class," he explained. "And I think I saw you yesterday, outside of school," he kept smiling at me and that was when I made the connection.

"Oh, yeah I remember," I nodded. The guy with the gray hoddie and the basketball. "Nice to meet you, I'm Bella," I reached out my hand.

"Chad," he said, taking my hand. "If you need help or anything, just let me know."

"Actually, I can't find my locker," I said, feeling relieved and so grateful that I had met him at this moment, but also embarrassed for taking his offer so literally, he'd probably just wanted to be polite.

He smiled and for a moment I was afraid that he would think that I was kidding and just walk away, but then he reached out his hand for the paper with the locker number. "Let me see," he kept smiling and his smile showed amusement and pity, like he felt bad for me. I blushed. "It's down the hall to the right," he said after trowing a glance at my locker number.

"Thanks," I said smiling.

"I better run to class, see you later," he said, still smiling. He turned around and disappeared down the hall.

I kept standing on the same spot a while after he left. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. I turned and headed towards my locker.

Before I knew it it was time for lunch. I walked out of class with a feeling of discomfort. The classes had been bad enough but now I had to walk into a cafeteria, all by myself. I sighed as I opened my locker.

"Hi!" a light and alert voice was right by my ear. I turned my head as I kept putting the books in piles. It was a blond girl with a sweet face and blue, kind of sparkling eyes. Her whole being radiated and her smile was enchanting, for a second I was caught of guard and I couldn't think of anything to say. It wasn't like when Edward dazzled me, it was something more... human, like I was in chock.

"My name is Caroline Forbes and I'm supposed to show you around," she looked like one of those popular girls; pretty, confident and in charge of all the school events, probably class president too. But her smile looked genuine and the intimidation I usually felt towards those girls went away.

"Bella Swan," I said as I closed the locker door, smiling back a little, not as confident as she did though.

"It's nice with a new face around here," she said, still smiling, but something about the way she said it made me think that it wasn't that unusual with new people in Mystic Falls, and not in a good way.

"Did you find all your classes okay?"

We started walking through the school and Caroline showed me the gym, the football field and the classrooms where the rest of my classes were held, as she went on and on about the school and the events and the cheerleading squad.

"There's an open spot if you're interested. You could audition. It's a great way to make friends."

"I don't do sports," I said as we walked through the halls. I blushed when I thought of how much damage I could inflict on someone while attempting to do one of those kicks, or just waving my hand really. "That would just make it to easy to hurt myself, or others."

"Oh, okay," Caroline frowned a little but dropped the subject, which I was really grateful for. The last place she took me to was the cafeteria.

"As you can see," she said, waving her hands enthusiastically, "we are now entering the sacred shrine of food," she turned towards me. "AKA the slightly sticky cafeteria," she giggled.

"Thank you so much for showing me around," I said, smiling back at her, she had the most contagious smile.

"Well, it's one of the things I do, as part of the welcome committee, but it was definitely my pleasure," Caroline smiled at me and then she turned around again, heading towards the lunch line and she waved at me to follow her. When we had gotten our food we stood still beside each other for a few seconds. Caroline was standing on her toes, looking out over the heads in front of us, her eyes traveling over the faces of the students.

"You should meet my friends," she said. "Come on."

We started through the room, walking between tables filled with people having lunch. Not a single pair of eyes were on me, everyone was too busy eating, laughing and chatting with their friends and I thought about how different this was from Forks. They didn't care that much that I was here, which was exactly what I had wanted.

As we made our way through the room I looked at the tables we were passing, it felt like there was something missing, something I couldn't find. Then I realized what it was; the Cullens weren't sitting by a table in this cafeteria. I felt a sting in my chest, but that was good, I had to feel. That's the meaning, I had to feel everything. I took a breath. I felt so stupid, but I guess habits are hard to break.

Caroline came to a stop when we reached one of the tables.

"Hey, guys, this is Bella," Caroline said as she took a seat at the circular table. I did the same, putting my tray in front of me.

There were three people sitting at the table. They were all good-looking and made me extremely self-aware. They definitely weren't the kind of people I usually hung out with, not my kind of crowd.

The person sitting next to me had dark, curled hair and dark skin. Next to her sat a girl with long, dark, straight hair who smiled at me, she was very pretty. When my eyes traveled to the next person, sitting between the second girl and Caroline, my eyes widened with surprise. I quickly composed my face again, but his smile told me that he had noticed my expression. There was recognition in his eyes too, just not as surprised as mine. I blushed.

His eyes were on me. "Nice to see you again Bella. I didn't get a chance to introduce myself yesterday, I'm Stefan Salvatore."

I smiled a small uncertain smile, still blushing. "Nice to meet you."

The girls eyes were on Stefan with surprise and confusion. It seemed like he hadn't told them about the weirdo showing up at his doorstep the day before, I wondered why.

"I'm sorry again for my brother," Stefan said, looking at me with kind eyes.

"What did Damon do now?" The dark-haired girl who sat next to him asked. There were both worry and irritation in her voice and I got the same feeling as during my conversation with Stefan yesterday, that this wasn't the first time his brother stirred up trouble.

"He was rude to Bella when she came to ask for directions," Stefan explained, reaching out a hand and touching her arm gently. He gave her a calming look and I saw her nod almost unnoticeable. I was confused. The looks they gave each other said so much that I didn't understand. Why was this girl so worked up?

"It's okay, really," I reassured them.

"What did you expect? He's Damon," the other girl said. The venom in her voice was so clear that I would be surprised if she couldn't taste it and by the look in her eyes she had, what I could only guess, some very nasty thoughts about him right now. Like I thought then, a troublemaker. I felt better knowing that I wasn't the only one feeling that way about the other Salvatore brother.

"I'm Bonnie," she said, smiling at me.

"And I'm Elena," the girl next to Stefan said.

"Bella," I smiled back at them. I didn't quite know what to think about them yet, I just knew that my first impression of them had been completely wrong and I felt bad for being prejudice. These people were normal and might not be so different from my type of friends after all.

"So, Bella, where are you from?" Elena asked, as she took a sip of her sparkling water.  
>"Forks," I said, feeling relieved to talk about something else than my awkward arrival the day before. "Washington."<p>

"Washington, huh?" Stefan said, nodding. "That's a long move."  
>"Yeah, well I'm here to help an old friend of the family," I said, running my hand up and down my arm.<p>

"So you moved here by yourself?" Elena asked me, I saw the curiosity in her eyes, but the question was lighthearted, not demanding anything of me.

"Yes."

"Bella is a senior," Caroline said after a few moments of silence, like that explained it all.

The rest of them seemed to settle with that. They were not pushing me into telling them everything about myself and I gladly embraced that.

"Is Mrs. Flowers the one you're here to help?"Stefan asked me and I wasn't surprised that he had been able to put the pieces together, he seemed like that kind of person, the kind that payed attention.

"Yeah, she needed some help with the B&B so I decided to come help her," I explained, looking down on my hands while I touched my fingernails.

"That's very thoughtful of you," Stefan said, looking at me with intense, green eyes. "Not everyone would tear up their roots and move like that for someone else."  
>"Well, that's what friends are for," I said, looking at him and even though I wanted to I didn't let my gaze drop. Something told me that he didn't believe me, that he somehow knew that there was more to it than I had mentioned. It felt important that I didn't let my gaze drop because that would be like giving in to his suspicions. He didn't look away either.<p>

"What do you think of the B&B?" Bonnie asked and it was obvious that she was trying to change the subject.

"It's beautiful, not as big as your house though," I said, not taking my eyes away from Stefan's, smiling in an attempt to make him forget our last conversation. Something about Stefan was very intense and normally it would have made me feel uncomfortable, but it didn't, for reasons I couldn't explain. Stefan smiled back at me and the connection was broken.

"But I really like it," I continued. "It reminds me of when I was little."

"Did you spend a lot of time in Mystic Falls growing up?" Elena asked.

"I don't know. Maybe, when I was too young to remember it, but to be around Mrs. Flowers and her house reminds me of my grandmother. They were best friends," I explained. This was safe territory and things that I didn't mind discussing.

"Where's your grandmother now?" Bonnie asked.

"She died when I was eleven," I said. I noticed the sadness in Bonnie's eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It was a long time ago," I was curious about the reasons for Bonnie's sudden sadness but I didn't want to ask.

I turned to my food, I didn't know what else to say. I hadn't planned these kind of revelations but they were all very insightful. Especially Stefan. I picked up the apple on my tray, rubbing my thumb over it a few times, I could see my reflection on it. I took a bite of it as I watched Stefan, trying not to make it too obvious.

"Bella, you should come to the Grill tonight," Caroline said, looking at me and I turned my attention towards her. "We're gonna eat some food, shoot some pool, it'll be fun," she smiled at me. It took a few seconds before I answered.

"Thanks," I said. I was touched that she thought to ask me and at the same time as I wanted to go I remembered my promise to Mrs. Flowers. "Maybe, I just have some things to take care of."

My two reasons for being in Mystic Falls were suddenly colliding in a way that I hadn't expected. If I was gonna try to have a normal life I needed friends, but I was also here to help Mrs. Flowers and I couldn't blow of my meeting with her to go hang out at the Grill.

When I got home that afternoon I was exhausted but at the same time thrilled in some way.

I heard Mrs. Flowers in the living room and started to walk towards it with careful steps. I still wasn't quite comfortable moving around in Mrs. Flowers' house. It was so neat and clean and every time I turned I felt like I was gonna knock something over, but I figured I just needed some time to get used to it.

When I entered the room I saw Mrs. Flowers putting down a tray of tea on the coffee table.

"Just in time for tea, dear," she said without looking up, then she smiled as she sat down on the beige couch. "How was your day?"

"It was fine," I said as I sat down next to her on the couch, putting the backpack on the floor by my feet and reaching for one of the cups. "I met some really nice people," I couldn't help but smile when I thought about it. All of them had made my day into a far more interesting and fun first school day than I could have imagined, or even hoped for.

"I'm happy to hear that, Bella," Mrs. Flowers gave me a warm smile and I smiled back. "I have something for you," She leaned towards the tray and picked up a paper that she put on the coffee table in front of me. I looked at it for a few seconds. It looked like some sort of form.

"What is this?" I asked, confused about the meaning of the paper.

"You have seen a job application before, haven't you? Because otherwise we have a slightly bigger problem," Mrs. Flowers said as she put her cup to her lips.

Of course I saw that it was an application, what I couldn't figure out was why she had given it to me.

"I took the liberty of picking that up for you," Mrs. Flowers answered my wordless question. "The Mystic Grill is hiring and I thought that it would be perfect for you. I already recommended you to the manager, they are just waiting for your application."

"You want me to get a job?" It was a stupid question, why else would she ask me to fill out a form, but I was confused. I was there to help her out with the Inn, was I supposed to juggle a part time job at the same time?

"I know that it's not what you expected," Mrs. Flowers kept a low and explaining voice as she watched me with her wise eyes. "But this is the best way you can help me. You'll give me a small amount of whatever you make and that will be enough to help me keep the Bed and Breakfast running. Don't think of it as charity, because you know how I feel about that, think of it as rent. I admit that business has been slow for a while but it's just starting to pick up again, we're heading towards a better season and frankly I don't need any help around the house, I enjoy the work, it keeps me busy... it keeps me young," she winked at me, but I could understand where she was coming from. Mrs. Flowers felt alive when she worked, and as long as she could manage it I didn't see any reason to take it away from her.

"Maybe when I rent out more rooms I'll need some help with the cleaning but other than that I'm fine, despite what your mother says," she added and I smiled as I looked down, she had caught the worry in my eyes and I felt a little defeated. "Hurry up to fill out that form and head down to the restaurant when you've finished your tea, you can use my car," Mrs. Flowers got up out of the couch and started to leave the room.

"Thank you, Mrs Flowers," I said and she stopped walking. "It was really nice of you to do this," Despite what the old lady had said about this being a help to her I knew that it was more than that. She could have made me get a job anywhere, and she chose the place where all the kids hang out and she didn't even want my whole paycheck, which meant that I would actually be in possession of money. She looked out for me in her own sneaky way, but it was like I knew her. She was familiar and I knew how she worked, one of the many things I had learned about her as a child. And she didn't realize that I saw right through her.

Some time later I walked into the Grill. The first thing I noticed was that the place was packed. This was clearly a very popular place and I had had my suspicions about that.

Mrs. Flowers had told me to find the manager and be the one to hand her the application myself and I felt very comfortable with that, problem was, I had no idea where to find her. I directed my steps towards the bar, perhaps one of the staff members could help me, or at least point me in the right direction. I had my eyes set on my goal, which might not be the smartest thing when you're so clumsy you can't even walk over a straight surface without finding something to trip over.

A hard shove in my side made me loose my balance and fall into one of the chairs close by. The chock had me stop breathing for a short while and my heart pounded in my chest. When I looked up to try to determine the cause of my fall I looked into a pair of beautiful blue eyes that completely caught me of guard. It wasn't that they were so intense och mesmerizing that I couldn't take my eyes away from them, I just didn't want to. The curse words that had been on the tip of my tongue suddenly just went away and I felt a hand on my arm. For that moment, the only thing I saw was his eyes.

Then he spoke.


	6. A Cup Half Full

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _The Twilight Saga_, _The Vampire Diaries_ or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN: **It's been a while, I know. But I think I've finally found the few elements I needed to continue the story. I think I've found my way again. :) But please review! Your reviews are what helps me to keep going, so don't forget! Tell me what you think. I hope you like it!  
>Love.<p>

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 6: A CUP HALF FULL<strong>

For a moment that couldn't have been more than a second I just looked into his eyes with surprise and wonder holding me in a firm grip. I wasn't drowning in the blue of them nor did I find myself lost, but I was captivated by the naturalness of them.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay?" he burst out. "Here, let me help you." He reached out his hand, the one that wasn't resting on my left arm. His eyes were so blue. His words broke the enchantment and I hesitated for only a second before I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet.

My right side, just below the ribcage, felt a little sore from banging into the edges of the chair but other than that I felt okay. I was still a little shocked but as I stood steadily on the ground again it didn't keep me from blushing.

"Thank you," I said, my voice a little out of breath.

"I'm really sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." He continued to apologize, sounding devastated and as he spoke I got a chance to take in the rest of him and not just his eyes.

His hair was messy in a cute way and it was sweetly honey blonde. He looked about my age. His hand felt strong in mine and he was built like an athlete, probably a football-player by the looks of it. His muscles were clearly visible through his blue t-shirt.

"It's okay," I said and shook my head, like I was shaking his apology away. "Neither was I, it could just as easily have been my fault. I'm such a klutz." My face turned even redder as I heard the words come out of my mouth. I moaned inside but the guy just smiled at me. I smiled a faint smile back.

He still hadn't let go of my hand and it didn't feel natural to hold on to it anymore. I glanced down at our linked hands. He noticed my gaze.

"I'm Matt Donovan," and just like that he had turned the helpful gesture, and awkward situation, into a polite greeting.

"Bella Swan." Then our hands parted.

"You're new around here, right? I think I saw you in school today."

"Yeah, I just moved here." I didn't say anything else about it and he didn't ask. Maybe he thought it impolite to ask when I clearly hadn't offered or maybe he just didn't care.

A moment of silence passed and I tried to figure out something to say. Preferably nothing stupid.

"I'm looking for the manager." There, straightforward, just now remembering why I was at the restaurant in the first place.

"Oh, you're the girl Mrs. Flowers talked about," Matt said, understanding lit up his eyes. He lifted his hand a little as he explained. "She was in here a couple of days ago, going on about this great girl she knew, she had a lot of nice things to say about you." That was when I realized that Matt was wearing an apron. I hadn't noticed before, or at least I hadn't made the connection. I hadn't noticed the bus tub on the table closest to Matt either. Clearly he worked here.

"Really?" I said, surprise coloring my tone. Mrs. Flowers just kept surprising me. If it was god or bad I hadn't decided yet. It confused me that she'd picked up the application before I had even arrived in town. I wondered what she could have possibly said about me. What she knew about me.

"Hey! Matt!" someone called a few tables away. Matt turned to look. I couldn't see the person calling but the way Matt's face lit up was pretty telling. He waved and then turned to me again. "The manager is back there." He gestured towards the bar and a doorway in the back.

"You can't miss her. Just ask for Calleigh."

"Thank you," I said sincerely. I smiled.

"Sure, don't mention it," he smiled back. "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." I was a little touched by the gesture, it seemed like he really meant it.

"Thanks, Matt."

"See you around, Bella. And I'm sorry, again."

I nodded and turned to walk towards the bar but after a few steps I looked over my shoulder after him. He was walking the other way, to the person who had called I assumed.

I could see the table he was headed towards now. I also saw the people sitting by it. I hadn't recognized her voice earlier but now it seemed obvious. It was Elena. With her was Bonnie and a boy I didn't know. His hair was brown and I noticed the similarities between him and Elena. Stefan was nowhere to be seen.

Just then Elena met my gaze and I knew that now when she had seen me I couldn't just walk away and I didn't really want to anyway. I turned and walked up to their table. Elena smiled sweetly.

"Hi, Bella. So you decided to come after all?" she said. There was something stiff about her voice. And her smile. Maybe it was just my imagination. I tried to act normal.

"Yeah, I decided to hit two birds with one stone," I said, nodding a few times to many. I looked at Matt who at first looked surprised but seemed to compose himself rather quickly.

"Bella's applying for the open position," Matt added.

"That's great," Bonnie said.

"I know they've wanted to fill that spot for a while now." The boy spoke for the first time since I had arrived to their table.

"Oh, has nobody else applied?" I asked him. I found that strange. This seemed like a nice place to work and to be honest it wasn't buzzing of other job opportunities around here. Which was exactly what I told them.

"I don't know," the boy answered me, shrugging his shoulders. "But this place hasn't been so lucky with their previous employees lately."

"Jeremy," Bonnie said with a low voice, shoving her elbow into his side.

"What?" he asked.

Elena gave him a stern look and then threw a glance at Matt. So did I. He was looking down, like there was suddenly something very interesting happening with his apron, but I could still see the sadness in his eyes.

Jeremy seemed to realize his mistake and closed his eyes in regret.

"Oh man, you know I didn't mean it like that," he said to Matt.

"Yeah, I know that. You're right though. I miss her." Matt said the last words in a weak voice, filled with emotion.

Jeremy just nodded. Like he was afraid of what else he might say. He looked genuinely crushed, almost the same way Matt did.

Elena spoke instead. "We all do."

I started to feel a little uncomfortable. I had no idea what they where talking about and I felt like I was intruding.

"I'm Jeremy, Elena's brother," Jeremy said when he had gathered himself. So my suspicions proved to be right. They were family.

"Hi. Bella."

"What I meant was that a lot of employees haven't been sticking around," he tried to explain, then he went quiet when he met Elena's eyes. She was still giving him looks, trying to be discreet. When she noticed that I was looking she smiled innocently at me. But I noticed the change in the atmosphere. Elena's expression was definitely stiff now. It was not my imagination. A feeling in my gut told me that it wasn't just about Jeremy putting his foot in it with Matt. I was reminded of the looks between Elena and Stefan in the cafeteria earlier that day. I didn't understand what it was that had been so bad about what Jeremy said, just like I hadn't understood the look between Elena and Stefan. I was confused. I tried to shake it away and just smiled back at Elena.

"Either they die or just... disappear," Matt continued. He didn't seem to notice any of the stares Elena had sent out to Jeremy. But when I shot a look at him it seemed like he felt a little better.

"But I'm sure you'll do great," Elena said and even though I felt that she meant it I didn't understand why I needed her reassurance. Everything was so weird.

"Thanks," I said, still confused. "I should probably go find the manager now, so that I'll have a shot at it at least." I waved a little with the paper in my hand.

"I'll go with you," Matt offered, like he was very anxious to get out of there too and I couldn't blame him. I didn't understand the meaning of what the others had brought up, but it was obvious that Matt was a little upset about it.

"Okay." I nodded. "See you guys later."

We walked away from the table in a fast pace. We had almost reached the bar when I felt like I needed to say something to break the silence.

"It was a bit weird back there. Are Elena always that tense?" I was trying to start a conversation but Matt didn't take it as lightly as I had expected.

"She's been through a lot lately. Many of us have. You shouldn't be so quick to judge."

I was a little startled by his tone.

"I didn't mean to. I'm sorry." I looked down.

"No, I'm sorry." Matt sighed and when I looked at him I saw the regret sweeping across his face. His gaze wavered a little. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. It's just... What Jeremy said..."

"You don't have to explain." I didn't have to interrupt Matt because he had already stopped talking when I opened my mouth. I had a feeling he was not going to be able to finish that sentence. "You're right. I don't know you," I continued.

"And because of me you won't want to." Matt gave me another apologetic smile, his eyes searching themselves to mine.

"Probably not," I joked and gave away a laugh. We had reached the bar and the air around us was considerably lighter.

"I'll go get Calleigh." Matt walked in through the doorway next to the bar and disappeared for a short while.

The Grill was getting more crowded by the minute. The fact that it was a Monday didn't seem to bother anyone. It looked like it would be a busy night. My eyes drifted along the bar and I noticed two people sitting next to each other, drinking out of glasses filled with amber liquid. They were vaguely familiar. One of them was wearing a black leather jacket.

Matt returned a few moments later and gave me an encouraging smile as he passed me. A redheaded woman showed up behind him. Her hair was in a loose bun with strands curling down the sides of her face. She made it look relaxed and professional at the same time. She was pretty and had a lively light in her eyes.

"Well, look at what we have here, aren't you pretty!" The first words she spoke to me made it clear that my first impression was right. Her excitement rubbed off on me and I felt lighter.

I blushed and smiled a shy smile. I could see Matt out of the corner of my eye and saw a smile on his lips too.

"I'm Bella Swan. I'm here about the job—"

"I know exactly who you are!" Calleigh interrupted me, still with a big smile on her face. Her cheeks had a lovely pink color. I wondered if it was makeup or if they were naturally rosy. "Mrs. Flowers has told me everything about you. I feel like I know you already!"

I smiled but inside I went cold. Again I wondered what Mrs. Flowers had said exactly and what _she_ could possibly know that I didn't know about. How much had my mother shared with her?

"But silly me! You have no idea who I am." She kept smiling and gestured with her hands as she talked. She was loud, like most social people are, and now I understood what Matt had meant before. That she was hard to miss. "I'm Calleigh James, manager here at The Mystic Grill."

"Nice to meet you, miss James."

"Please, call me Calleigh! Miss James makes me feel like an old unmarried aunt or like I'm back in school, none of it good, believe me." She winked at me. I smiled. She talked with a fast pace, like someone who was eager to say as much as possible or possibly just a stressed out person. "So, did you bring the application?"

I handed her the paper I held in my hand, it was a little wrinkled. "I have experience in service and even though I've never worked at a restaurant I'm a quick learner and—" I interrupted myself as Calleigh let her eyes pass over the lines, it looked like she barley read what was written there.

"Looks like everything is here," she said with a smile. "But really, there's no question about it. Honestly, I'm short on staff, I need all hands I can get. And a pretty girl like you couldn't be anything else than good for the business. Or what do you say Matt?" I hadn't realized that Matt was still clearing of the table behind us, apparently hearing everything said. I felt myself blush again as I turned to watch Matt. He just smiled.

"Sure, Bella is... great." His words were obviously said only to be nice and because his boss was forcing it out of him. But he quickly returned to the dishes and I thought I saw a hint of red on his cheeks.

"The job is yours," Calleigh expressed with a serious and solemn voice, then she squinted her eyes in a mischievous smile. "Could you be here tomorrow at five p.m? I'll have someone show you the ropes, it's not exactly rocket science, and then you'll be good to go."

I nodded. "Okay, thank you."

Calleigh waved and headed back to the room behind the bar with my application firmly in her hand. I breathed out in relief.

Matt showed up beside me with a small smile. "That went smooth," he said and the way he said it made me feel like he could see all my tension wearing off.

"Yeah, almost a little to smooth," I said in a low and suspicious voice.

"What do you mean?" Matt wrinkled his forehead and corrected his grip around the bus tub in his arms.

"It felt like she gave me the job because Mrs. Flowers told her to." I was almost surprised by my own honestly. I bit my lip. But that was the way it felt and at the same time I couldn't understand why I felt bad about that. I couldn't imagine that Mrs. Flowers would have told Calleigh anything that wasn't true. And she did say she felt like she knew me already. Whatever that meant.

Matt looked at me with convincing, still compassionate, eyes. "Mrs. Flowers didn't tell her to do anything. She just recommended you for the job. And if you ask me, who heard a lot of what she said, it was one hell of a recommendation," Matt tried to reassure me. "This is a business and Calleigh wouldn't risk it just to do someone a favor. She's a great judge of character. If she feels someone is right for the job, they're right for the job." He smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back. I didn't know why he was so nice to me. Maybe it was just in his nature. But he made me push my suspicions aside and suddenly I was just happy and excited about being hired.

"Thanks Matt, again." I smiled a little and my cheeks turned red for the umpteenth time that day.

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow then." He gave me one last smile and then walked away towards other tables that needed to be cleared. I stood there and looked after him as he walked away.

"Hate to break it to you but the quarterback's taken." With frown lines on my forehead I turned towards the unfamiliar voice.

The guys by the bar had turned towards me. I immediately recognized the one who spoke as the rude Salvatore brother. Damon.

"What?" It wasn't very cleaver but I was to stunned to come up with something better to say.

Damon was resting his arm casually on the bar, holding his glass. His whole posture expressed confidence. He rolled his eyes and smirked.

"I wasn't...uhm..." I looked over my shoulder at Matt once again and realized what it must have looked like.

"Sure you were, but hey, keep lying to yourself, not my problem." He kept smirking at me. I didn't even know him and already there was something about him that made me want to punch him in the face. That surprised me since I wasn't a violent person.

I threw a glance at the person next to him. Mr. Saltzman stared back at me. I got a feeling he'd been sitting like that for a while. He forced out a cough with a hand over his mouth when he realized I was looking at him, like he was trying to cover it up.

I frowned and started to feel uncomfortable. I saw Damon looking at him with raised brows. Mr. Saltzman laughed a short, low laugh. That too felt forced. Then he looked at me again, with more alert eyes this time.

"Bella Swan," he said. I thought I heard discomfort in his voice.

"Mr Saltzman," I said. "What a surprise to run into you here."

Mr Saltzman laughed that same uncomfortable laugh again. "Yes. Well, sometimes you need to take a break. What brings you here?" He seemed eager to change the subject. "Hanging out with new... friends?" I saw his eyes stop at something behind me. Blood rushed to my face when I realized he was looking at Matt. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Damon smile.

"No," I threw an irritated look at Damon. "I just got a job here actually."

"Oh." Mr Saltzman nodded. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." I smiled at him. But by the look in the teachers eyes I understood that he had overheard the conversation between me and Calleigh before.

"Well, I was just about to leave, actually. Damon." he nodded to Damon in goodbye and stood up.

"See you tomorrow Mr. Saltzman. Bye," I said, trying my best to compose a smile. He nodded to me too as he left.

Damon drank the rest of the contents in his glass before he also stood.

I didn't know where to look so I turned my head and my eyes caught Matt again, standing across the restaurant.

"I'm not one to stop a catfight, but in this one you'd be pretty inferior. So, a piece of advice. Forget about it or you'll have an angry Barbie to deal with, _Bella_." He said my name really close to my ear when he walked past me. And the way he said it, with irony, made me dislike him even more. He smirked and I gave him the dirtiest look I could achieve. He walked away with incredible confidence. I would have given anything to come up with a witty comeback.

I was sitting on my bed with the computer in my lap, leaning comfortably against a few pillows. I stared at the words on the screen in front of me. If I stared at them long enough they didn't even look like words anymore. Just symbols put together at random.

It was an e-mail from Renée. She wrote about the usual stuff: baseball games, brilliant food and her activities. I was pleased to hear that she hadn't yet had a chance to try mountain climbing.

It was the end of her letter that caused my current state of being.

_"Jacob called me. He called Charlie too. He even called your friends from Forks. Maybe you should talk to him."_

I knew that Charlie had told my mum that I asked him not to tell Jake, or anyone, where I was going.

It wasn't often that she made this kind on intrusion on my life. I had a feeling she felt that too. Which I guess was why she hadn't given my address to Jake when he called, it was none of her business, but I guess she also felt an obligation as my mother to at least talk to me about it.

I put my hands over my face, trying to take a deep breath. I felt dizzy. I felt like I was pulling forward and at the same time someone else was pulling back. I didn't know what to do, so I did the only think I could. I went to bed. I hoped that sleep would make me see it in a different light, help me decide what to do. At least it seemed like Jake didn't hate me anymore, I thought as I crawled down under the covers.

That night I woke up gasping for air. It was like an echo from the nights of the previous months. The difference was that it wasn't a dream that scared me, at least not one I could remember when I woke up, my hair sticking to my sweaty forehead, my entire body soaked and cold.

That night I had the biggest anxiety attack of my life.


	7. Mystic Feelings

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Twilight Saga_, _The Vampire Diaries_ or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN:** I have some exciting news! My story has been nominated for Best Stefan and Best Supporting Character in The Burning Diamond Awards! I'm so excited and very happy. Please take a minute to go and vote at crossoverawards . blogspot . com (remove the spaces) under Nominees. The voting is open until December 29th, 2012. I am so honored to even be considered for this!  
>Please remember to review, I love to hear your thoughts! Your support means the world to me :)<p>

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 7: MYSTIC FEELINGS<strong>

"Well, that sounds great!" Elena said as we walked through the corridor after History class. "Let's squeeze everything we can out of it." She made a squeezing movement with her hands and I giggled and nodded.

"See you at lunch," I said as we parted ways, heading to our respective classrooms.

As promised Mr. Saltzman had divided the class into groups of two for the upcoming project and to my relief I had been paired with Elena. We had already settled for a subject and started to plan the course of our work. I felt myself growing more comfortable in her company and it amazed me that I had been able to make a friend so fast. Elena was incredibly likeable and she and her friends were people I definitely wouldn't mind to hang out with. I liked them.

I exchanged my book and when I closed the door to my locker I felt a hand on my arm.

"Hey," Chad said and gave me a bright smile. "Are you finding everything okay today?"

I was a little shocked by the intimacy of his touch but his warm smile made up for it. "Yeah." I blushed. Partly because of the thought of yesterday and the other part because of the way his hand was lingering on my bare skin. I pulled on the strap to my bag and moved the book to my other hand.

"Which way are you headed?" Chad asked and reached out his hand to carry the book for me.

I let him take it, still a little stunned, but started to walk in my direction. "This way." I smiled a little and looked behind me to see if he was coming.

As we walked Chad talked about the History project. He wasn't happy with his partner. The guy he'd been assigned apparently did everything he could to get out of working. Chad had just finished saying that he would probably have to do all the work himself when we reached my classroom. I turned towards him. He handed me the book.

"Thanks." I smiled at him and he smiled back.

"No problem. See you later." He waved as he headed to his own class.

"Yeah, sure." I raised my hand in a small wave. I turned and walked into the classroom, a slight frown on my forehead.

The rest of the day I seemed to run into Chad between every class. He walked me to Math and English and he stayed to chat as I was waiting for Elena and the others outside the cafeteria. At the end of the day I started to wonder if it really was a coincidence. But either way I didn't mind. He smiled so sweetly every time he saw me, it was flattering really. He was a nice guy.

I arrived at the Grill a few minutes to five. This time I didn't have a problem to find my way. I directed my steps towards the door in the back, next to the bar. When I walked through the doorway I found myself in a room that looked like a storage. The walls were covered in shelves with different boxes and appliances on them that I couldn't quite figure out what they were used for.

I had two doors located to my left and one to my right. The right one was a brown swing door with a round window in it, and given the rattling, clinking and other loud noises coming from the other side of it I understood that it had to be the way to the kitchen.

The other two doors had labels on them that simply read 'Office' and 'Staff room'. I went up to the office and knocked firmly on the light wood. I waited for a few second in the dim light from the lone light bulb in the ceiling. There was no answer. I walked up to the door leading to the staff room, figuring I'd put my stuff away and then continue looking for Calleigh. I pushed the door open and entered a room with two small, round tables with chairs circling them. Along one wall there was a sink and refrigerator, along another there was a row of hooks. A few jackets and scarves already hung in place.

Matt was sitting in a chair by one of the tables, a schoolbook in front of him but he seemed more interested in his cellphone at the moment. He looked up when I entered.

"Hey."

"Hi." I managed a strained smile. "What's up?" I turned my back to him as I hung my stuff on a hook. I felt a little weird in his presence. It didn't feel the same way as when I hung out with the others. It was probably because I didn't know him that well. I just needed to get to know him more and then I'd feel better.

But the energy between us felt strange. We had known each other for no time at all and already he had managed to be unbelievably nice to me. He had reinforced my self-esteem, pushed my suspicions away, I should just be grateful. But I suspected that the feeling had to do with the events of the previous day. We both learned things about each other that one usually doesn't tell people one known for less than an hour. Me with my insecurity about being hired and him with the loss of someone close to him. I was uncomfortable. Of course the thought of Damon Salvatore's words didn't make it any easier. If he thought I was into Matt, maybe Matt thought so too. It made me flush just to think of the possibility.

"I'm waiting for you actually," said Matt and broke my train of thought.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you're gonna work with me today. Follow me around, learn the job."

"Okay, great. So what are we doing?" I leaned against the backrest of the chair opposite Matt.

He gave away a laugh and I blushed as I realized that my enthusiasm might have been a bit too much and instead given the opposite meaning than I had intended.

"Follow me." I could see that he tried very hard not to smile and suddenly I couldn't resist either and my face broke into a silent smile as I put my hair up in a ponytail.

The rest of the day I followed Matt around and copied everything he did. It turned out that Matt was familiar with the waiter job as well and since that was what I needed to be taught, he took orders while I stood behind him, looking over his shoulder and helping him carry the food out. After a few times of observing we took turns taking orders, with him looking over my shoulder.

We had a good time, talking about whatever came up, people in school, his friends and food. We talked a lot about food. At one moment I let it slip that I was a pretty good cook. And he told me that he tried to avoid cooking if possible since he was awful at it. Mostly he ended up eating leftovers from the Grill.

"I could teach you, if you want," I told him as we carried out four plates of steaming hot fries and hamburgers to one of the booths. I asked if they wanted refills on their drinks but they declined and we walked away to stand in a corner by the bar. Our first free minutes all night. "To cook I mean."

"I'm pretty sure I'm a lost cause."

I laughed. "I don't believe that." I looked out over the room and admired the scene for a while. I could hear laughter and clinking glasses. Everyone looked happy. "So how come you cook for yourself? Are your parents terrible cooks too?" I turned casually to face him.

"Yeah, but uhm..." Matt followed my example and looked out over the crowd, but it was obvious that he was trying to avoid my gaze. "My mom is... actually I don't know where she is." He made a sound that sounded like a mix of a snort and a laugh. "There's no one to cook for me."

When the realization came to me I was dumbfounded. But I felt like I needed to say something to smooth it over. After all, I knew what it was like to care for yourself. In my relationship with my mother I'd been the adult.

"Well, then you definitely need to learn how to cook." I smiled and he smiled back and opened his mouth to say something but just then the next order was up and the temporary calmness of the restaurant was over in the blink of an eye.

When I got home that night, falling onto my bed with all my clothes still on, it was the first opportunity all day that I had time to think. I had just been in town a few days and already life seemed to flow in a good pace. I had new friends, new teachers and new places around me. Forks felt like light years away. The anxiety attack from the night before felt distant. Now when I felt like I had solid proof of that I could lead a different life, one that I liked and that made me feel good, I felt like I might be able to depend on myself again, if not now then at least in the future. I felt like I actually had made the right choice.

I suspected that Jake thought that I was running away from everything and I guess you could see it that way too. But I didn't feel like I was pushing anything away. I wasn't afraid to think of Edward or Alice, Esme or Emmett or any other Cullen, despite how much it could hurt, it wasn't like my zombie months. Now, here in this town, I could face everything with a clarity I hadn't had before. I could process it, deal with the pain. But I had to stay away until I felt like I was stable.

But I was still scared. This, what I was doing now, was scary. I was trying so hard to move on but still there were seeds of doubt inside me, waiting to be planted and start growing. Was I strong enough? Could I do this on my own? But the fact that I already did it should be convincing enough. I needed more time, because the only thing holding me back was me. I needed to know that I could do this, despite how scary it was.

I would talk to Jake, of course I would, but I couldn't right now. Everything was going so well and soon I would be able to include him in that. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt his feelings, but I didn't want him to see a broken Bella again.

The next day when I walked the halls between first and second period I saw Chad rushing in the opposite direction. By now I had stopped being surprised.

"Bella," he said when he saw me, he sounded surprised though, and like he was in a hurry, but he stopped short in his steps. "I don't really have time to talk, I'm meeting Elena. She's supposed to lend me one of her brother's history papers. I need some inspiration for the project," he explained.

"So you're partner's not helping out, huh?"

"No, he's not," he said, shaking his head. "But I didn't think he would so..."

I nodded and gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hey, do you wanna have lunch later?" he asked quickly and with confidence. I was quiet for a second and tilted my head a little to the left. Chad just kept surprising me and I always found myself caught of guard.

"I already made plans," I said apologetically. I saw surprise, and maybe disappointment, mix in his eyes, but he managed to hide it quick. "How about tomorrow?" I added as I pushed a few strands of hair out of my face. There wasn't anything wrong with Chad, he was nice and I felt bad for turning him down. And honestly I didn't have any other people to hang out with except for Elena and company, so it couldn't hurt.

"It's a date."

My stomach turned at his words but I still forced out a smile and half a nod. Chad looked like he just won the lottery and waved as he resumed his steps and headed down the hall. I turned and fled towards class.

"This was a bad idea," I told myself as I pushed the bike up a ginormous hill. The sun was shining brightly and I didn't even dare to think about how many degrees it was. All I knew was that it was very hot. I was only wearing a thin tank top and shorts and still I felt like I was gonna pass out. The bag of groceries didn't exactly make it any better. As I was panting and trying to use all of my upper body strength to keep the bike in front of me, sweat trickling down my neck and back, I was wondering how I could have thought that this was a good idea to begin with. I could have taken the car, in fact Mrs. Flowers had told me to use the car, but I had decided to go to the store a little earlier and take the bike since it was such a beautiful day. Mrs. Flowers had just given me a small smile and I wondered if she could have known that this was going to happen.

A car drove past me fast. The wind from when it drove by tugged at my clothes but it was a warm breeze and not at all cooling. The windows were rolled down and high music poured out of the speakers.

"Bloody show off," I muttered as I stopped for a second, leaning over the handlebars of the bike, trying to catch my breath and gain some strength. The bag of groceries were placed in the basket at the front. I really hoped that the ice cream hadn't melted but it seamed like a dream scenario.

I heard the sound of a roaring car engine coming up the hill and groaning I started walking again. After a while I realized that the car hadn't driven by and the roaring where close. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a blue truck creep beside me. I heard the sound of stones crunching under the tires. I started to feel uncomfortable as it kept going in the same pace as me. Despite the heat I suddenly felt cold. I tried to push the bike faster.

"Need some help?"

I sighed with relief as I recognized the voice and turned my head towards the driver. But I was also a little shocked. Matt was sitting in his car, leaning towards the passenger seat and the open window. He was smiling teasingly at me.

"Thanks, but I'm fine," I said stubbornly as a reaction to his teasing. I turned my head towards the road again. Irritation grew quickly in my chest.

"Yeah, I can see that," I could still hear the smile in his voice and I kept my nose in the air as my face flushed bright red. I didn't stop walking. "Let me drive you home."

I knew that I was acting like a stubborn child but when I heard that his smile was almost gone – but mostly because I felt like I was minutes from having a sunstroke – I wavered a little.

"Come on, I'm heading that direction anyway."

I turned towards him again. Biting my lip.

"If not for you then at least for the food," he insisted and I stopped walking.

I hesitated. What in the end made me agree was the pain in my dry throat as I tried to breath. My chest heaved and I had to press the word out. "Okay." I smiled, feeling a little shy.

Matt pulled the parking brake and jumped out of the car with the engine still running. He walked around the car to the passenger side and held the door open for me. My smile turned even shyer but I placed myself and the bag of groceries on the passenger seat. The car smelled faintly of takeout and a smell that I couldn't place but which filled the whole car. It was a nice smell.

While Mat threw my bike up on the back of the truck like it was nothing, I suddenly became very aware of how my clothes were sticking to my back and front, and my legs were sticking to the seat. I tried to smell myself as discretely as possible to make sure I didn't smell like sweat.

Matt opened the door on the driver side and got into the car. As he closed the door a whiff of air blew towards me, bringing the nice smell in a more concentrated form with it. It was the smell of Matt, I realized. I blushed unconsciously and smiled a little to myself, taking in a deep breath.

"Thank you. You didn't have to do this," I said as he started driving again.

"I know. But when I see a damsel in distress—"

"I wasn't in distress!" I interrupted him forcefully. He didn't seem to care, he just smiled but I ended up feeling stupid anyway and my face turned hot once again. "And I'm not a damsel."

"I think I can recognize a damsel when I see one," he said to me, still with that smile on his lips. "And you were definitely one."

I snorted and shook my head like a stubborn child, turning my gaze out the side window. I started to smile a little though, at how we were kidding around, but I still couldn't take his words as lightly as I would have liked to.

"But that's okay," Matt said and I turned towards him with a curious expression. "We all need to be rescued once in a while."  
>"Yeah, some more than others," I said quietly as I looked down at the bag in my lap.<p>

"What?"

"No, nothing."

Matt let it go and I felt relief. Now when I had had a chance to see him around his friends, who he was, I felt like I really did know him. And I knew that he wouldn't pressure me into talking about something that I didn't want to talk about, and that felt good. I still didn't really feel all that comfortable around him though, it was like something was alive in my stomach, tugging and fluttering. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was somewhere between feeling sick and very giggly.

"Where you going somewhere?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I was just taking a drive, you know, before the stress of work hits."

We reach the house faster than I had expected and he stopped next to the sidewalk in front of it.

"So you could say you're free now, right?" I asked as we both got out of the car and he helped me with my bike.

"As a bird. Why?"  
>I didn't know where this newfound boldness came from but I might as well take advantage of it while it was there. Not that this required courage. Not at all. We were friends.<p>

"You should come in for dinner", I said, suddenly feeling very happy with myself over the suggestion. It felt like a great way to pay him back.

"No, I couldn't do that."

"Sure you could. You have to eat and you said it yourself, you're not a great cook."

Matt looked at me with his mouth half open. He looked undecided, like he was contemplating my offer.

"Come on. As a thank you. And then we can drive to work together", I said pleading, looking straight into his eyes.

"Okay", he caved. "If you're sure there's no trouble."

"Of course not", I reassured him. "Mrs. Flowers won't mind. She loves company."  
>And sure enough, Mrs. Flowers was thrilled I'd brought someone over. "It's so nice to meet a friend of Bella's", she said to Matt, shaking his hand. She said the word 'friend' like it had some kind of hidden meaning and through the entire dinner she threw meaningful glances at me while she was talking to Matt. I did my best trying not to blush. Other than that dinner was great. None of us had trouble coming up with things to talk about. Matt and Mrs. Flowers talked like they had known each other forever and I cut in whenever I could. Mrs. Flowers shared cute stories about how when I was little I had thought that the airplanes in the dark sky where stars, taking you wherever you wanted to go. Luckily she kept all the embarrassing stories to herself.<p>

"This was great Mrs. Flowers, I can't remember the last time I ate something that tasted this good", Matt said when we'd finished.

"Thank you, dear." Mrs. Flowers gave him a bright smile. "You have to come over for dinner again soon."

"I'll take you up on that", Matt said and flashed all of his teeth in a genuine smile.

"I'll hold you to that", Mrs. Flowers said and smiled back.

After a quick change of clothes on my part we said goodbye to her, thanked her for dinner and headed out to the car to get to work.

"It must be great to have someone like Mrs. Flowers," Matt told me as we got into his truck.

"Yeah, she really is great", I said and watched the B&B trough the window as we drove away.


	8. Matt Donovan

**Disclaimer:** I do not own _The Twilight Saga_, _The Vampire Diaries_ or any of its characters.  
><strong>AN: **After a really looooong break, I'm back. Let me know what you think about this chapter! I love it when you review cause then I get to know what you guys think! :)

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER 8: MATT DONOVAN<strong>

The others were at the Grill when Matt and I arrived. An unusually big crowd had gathered tonight, the advertising for tonight's performance seemed to have paid off. It was as expected. Both adults and teenagers had come to see the band perform. I felt my stomach turn a little. They needed all hands on deck tonight. I just wished that my first time waiting tables on my own would've been any other night.

It was crowded and very hard to get around. Luckily this seemed to be a night when everyone had decided to only have drinks. It made it a whole lot easier when I didn't have to balance overloaded plates. Pretty soon I felt like a pro, zigzagging through the crowd to get around.

"To bad that you can't join us, it's a great band," Caroline said to me as I handed her her drink.

"Yeah, I'll just have to enjoy it while working," I said and tried to meet her gaze. She wasn't listening to me, her eyes had fluttered away and were locked by the bar. I saw Matt clearing away a table so that a couple of newcomers could sit down. He looked up and for a moment I saw their eyes meet. It was over after half a second but I could feel the tension in the air between them, it made me feel uneasy. When I looked at Caroline again I saw the sadness reflect in her eyes. "Are you okay?" I asked her despite the awkwardness. I wasn't the only one who had noticed Caroline's sudden drop of spirit. Elena put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

"I'm fine", Caroline reassured us both. "I need to visit the ladies room." She left us there, Elena looking worried and me just feeling confused.

A redheaded woman came from the direction Caroline was headed and turned after her as they passed each other. "What happened?" she asked Elena when she reached us.

"Matt drama," Elena explained. "She and Matt are going through a rough patch."

So they are a thing, I thought to myself and I wondered why I hadn't realized that earlier. Caroline always seemed to keep her spirits up in school though and I hadn't had much time to hang out with anyone outside school and work. I had never actually seen them together.

"Is she gonna be okay?" I asked as I looked in the direction of the bathrooms before my attention turned to the woman standing next to Elena.

"Yeah, I'll go check on her in a moment," Elena said and even though she gave me a reassuring smile the worry lines didn't leave her features.

"This is my aunt, Jenna," Elena introduced us and I smiled, although a little surprised, she looked way to young to be an aunt. "Jenna, this is Bella."

"Oh, so you're Bella," Jenna said and shook my hand. "Elena told me about your project," she explained. "Not that I'm some weird psycho who keeps track of the teenagers in town or anything like that."

I laughed. "Oh, good. What a relief," I said, Jenna laughed in response.

"So how is Mystic Falls treating you?"

"It's a bit of a change, but I like it," I answered honestly and then I threw a stressful glance around me. I needed to get back to work.

"Bella, do you wanna come over and study tomorrow after school, like we talked about?" Elena asked and I turned towards her again.

"Yes, that sounds great."

"Not that that doesn't sound like so much fun, but you should definitely stay for dinner too," Jenna interjected. "And of course you need to tell us more about the difference between Mystic Falls and your hometown."

"Yeah, you really should," Elena said with a smile. "We're all curious to know more."

"Yeah, okay," I said, even though some things sounded more tempting than others. "Thank you."

Elena searched with her gaze towards the bathroom. "I should go and make sure Caroline is okay. See you later."

I nodded in reply and as she walked away I turned towards Jenna. "It was nice meeting you."

"You too." She smiled and I left her as I searched the room, trying to notice any orders. Matt waved to me from a corner.

"The people over there want some drinks."  
>"Thanks."<p>

"No problem." Matt walked away without as much as a second glance at me. It was obvious that this thing between him and Caroline, whatever it was, was affecting him more than he wanted anyone to notice.

I served drinks the rest of the night and helped Matt whenever too many tables needed to be cleared. I saw Caroline return from the bathroom with Elena, she still looked upset but it seemed like Elena had managed to calm her down a bit. It was hard not to notice the exchange of looks going on between Caroline and Matt the entire night.

The band finished their last song and people clapped their hands and then they started to leave the Grill. I saw Elena, Bonnie and Jenna move towards the door, all of them turning around to wave at me. I waved back with the washcloth in my hand. I didn't see Caroline then I noticed her walking up to Matt who was standing to the side of the bar. Caroline spoke first. Matt shook his head and tried to walk away but was stopped by Caroline putting her hand on his arm. He was angry. Caroline looked like she was trying to explain something. Suddenly she fell quiet and Matt spoke instead. He shook his head again. Caroline nodded at whatever he was saying and her hand fell from his arm. She made a gesture that clearly stated that she didn't know what to do. She looked down at her shoes. Her lips formed the words "I'm sorry."

I suddenly came out of my trance and hurried away from where I was standing. I felt embarrassed for looking at something that clearly was not meant for me. I moved as far away from them as I could and pretended to dry off tables that I had already dried off. Caroline left the Grill a moment later. I watched her until she disappeared through the door.

I hesitated for a second before I started to walk towards the bar and Matt, who was still standing there, running his hand trough his hair. When he saw me he looked down, like he was trying to hide something.

"Are you okay?" I asked but I already knew the answer. Instead of answering the question he asked one of his own.

"You heard us?" His voice was strained and I wasn't even sure if he cared about the answer.

I shook my head slightly. "No." It was technically true. "But I saw you," I said truthfully. I didn't want to step over the line, I didn't want to get lost in any ramblings so I just spoke flat out without over-thinking. "You looked upset. Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Matt said quietly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I nodded and then I lifted one of the tubs next to him. He gave me a nod and lifted the other one. I led the way to the kitchen. I could hear the roughness of his movements as the dishes clinked together behind me but I didn't say anything more and neither did he. We just worked side by side, til the end of our shift.

When we sat in his truck and he drove me home I wished there was something I could say or do to make him feel better.

"It's a nice night." It was terribly obvious that I was trying to start a conversation, but I couldn't handle this silence any longer, I couldn't handle him being so... sad. He had lost his usual glow. Matt seemed to understand what I was doing.

"I'm sorry if I seemed grumpy before," he said. I could hear the tension in his voice that he was trying to conceal.

"Grumpy isn't the word I would use, but sure," I said, shrugging.

"Then what word would you use?" he asked me and I felt delighted, and surprised, to have made him talk. I thought about my answer for a moment before giving it to him.

"Hurt. You looked hurt." I turned to him and I saw the sadness in his eyes. It tugged at my heart to see him like that. "Do you wanna talk about it?" I asked.

"Talk about what?" He didn't take his eyes off the road and I noticed how his entire body slumped in the seat., but his knuckles whitened as he clenched the wheel. I looked out the window too and the two of us sat in silence.

"It's over between us," he finally said.

"I'm sorry." I looked at Matt and I could see all the emotions on his face. Despite the hurt and sadness there was an eerie calmness over him.

"I've felt it happen for a while. Now it's just confirmed. These last few weeks there's been something different about her." Matt shook his head and sighed. "I just wish that she would tell me what's wrong, you know? She's always been blunt. The kind of person who just says whatever is on her mind. Even when you don't want to hear it." The small smile that formed on his lips was barely visible. "I just want honesty." Realization crossed Matt's face and I don't know if he was even aware of my presence when he continued. "If she can't give me that then we shouldn't be together." He didn't sound sad when he said it. It was like he spoke the clearest of truths. The eerie calm was there again. It made me nervous, I felt like I didn't know what he was hiding under his shell.

"I'm sorry," I said.

I don't know why I did it. I didn't even think about it. It just felt right. So I put my hand on his arm. It felt right for about a second and then I started to wonder how long it was appropriate to keep touching him. I sat there and felt uncomfortable, trying to come up with something more to say, to make the transition more natural, but as I was thinking about all of this I was still touching him and suddenly I realized that I had already passed the appropriate amount of time. The moment was officially awkward. Matt through a glance at me and I jerked my hand away like I had burned myself. Smooth.

"I'm sorry to unload all of this on you."

"It's okay, " I said.

"Please don't let any of the things I told you cloud what you think of Caroline. She really is one of my best friends."

"Yeah, you all seem very close," I stated.

"We are."

I continued to look out the window. The darkness made it hard to see anything but outlines. A sense of similarity washed over me. This night, this car ride, suddenly reminded me of other car rides that I had had, but with another boy. The realization made me open my mouth and speak. "I came here to get away from the person I was. I need to try to find out who I am without the influence of everybody else. Do you think that's even possible?"

Matt was quiet. Poor guy, he probably hadn't expected this kind of confession. But I desperately needed to talk to someone. To be the solitary hero didn't seem as courageous anymore. After a few moments of silence I couldn't stand it anymore, I turned in my seat to look at him. Matt looked like he was seriously contemplating my question. It took a moment before he spoke.

"Everyone has an image of who they would like to be. And who we want to be and who we are aren't always the same person. But I think that without knowing who we want to be we can't become who we are. So who do you want to be Bella?"

I looked at him and as I saw the profile of his face, smelled his familiar sent and saw that serious expression on his face, I couldn't say anything. It was like all the words fell off of my tongue and my mind went blank. Matt laughed and I felt my whole body warm up. The first smile I had seen from him all night.

"Don't look so surprised, Bella," he said. "I am more than a brainless jock."

I laughed. "I didn't think you were a jock."

Matt laughed loudly. "Oh, but you though I was brainless?

"I'm still deciding," I teased him. He let out another laugh.

"That was really deep, Matt," I said, turning towards him in my seat.

"I try," for a moment he looked shy and I couldn't do anything else but smile at him.

"You know that you can talk to me, right? Just because I have all that stuff going on right now doesn't mean that..." He stopped himself and frowned, like he was trying to figure out what to say. "You can talk to me," he finished and when he looked at me I felt like I really wanted to. I just didn't know how to.

"The real reason I came here isn't as deep as I made it sound. I needed something new. Actually I just needed to get away from... someone."

"A guy?" Matt asked, and suddenly I knew that he wouldn't judge me, he was going through something though too. He knew what it was like to leave the person you truly care about because it was the only right thing to do.

"Yes." It was hard for me to go on. "I fell in love and the rest of the world just stopped. I saw everything through him and I wanted to spend every minute that I was awake with him. And I basically did." I didn't look at Matt when I spoke, it would distract me and I needed to get this out. "I depended on one person, who I thought would never let me down. And when he did, I just... broke. I loved him. More than I should've. I don't know why I came here of all places, I just wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere that wasn't Forks."

Matt had been listening to me silently the whole time. His expression was unreadable to me.

"Bella, I didn't know..." He turned his face to me and frowned, at a loss of words again.

"How could you have know? I didn't tell anyone." I just shrugged. He kept looking at me and after a moment he steered the car to the side of the road.

"I'm sorry," he said and I could see in his eyes that he truly meant it.

"Thank you." I smiled sadly at him.

We had arrived at the B&B.

"Thanks for the ride." I said as Matt turned of the engine.

"I'll walk you to the door."

"Okay."

We walked up the graveled path in silence for a moment. The night air was cool but not chilly, it was nice.

"Would you thank Mrs. Flowers for me again?"

"I will."

We reached the door and I unlocked it with my key. I put my hand on the handle and turned towards him.

"Thanks for the talk," Matt said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Anytime." I smiled as I opened the door. "Good night, Matt."

"Good night, Bella."

It was lunchtime and I was sitting at one of the tables in the cafeteria, waiting for Chad to show up. I ran my fork through the mashed potatoes, thinking of a million more appetizing things I would like to eat. Half of the lunch hour had already passed and still no sign of him. Was this his way of blowing me off? Maybe he had taken my unwillingness to eat lunch with him yesterday for me trying to get rid of him. That wasn't the case. Chad was nice. I definitely didn't mind being friends with him. He was probably just running late. I kept pondering it and decided that the next time I saw him I would be extra cheerful and nice.

"Hey."

"Hey," I said, looking up to give Chad a huge smile. But it wasn't Chad.

"You look happy," Matt said as he put his tray next to mine and sat down at the table.

"I guess I am. I got a lot of things off my chest yesterday." Once again I searched the cafeteria for Chad, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"About that, I thought about it yesterday, I'm sorry if you thought it got weird."

I frowned and shook my head. "I didn't." All thoughts of Chad went out the window. "Did you?" Suddenly I felt a little uncomfortable. Maybe I had shared to much with him yesterday. He probably thought that I was some kind of psycho.

"Actually, I didn't. I think I really needed to share it with someone. And I'm glad it was you."

I blushed and looked at my mashed potatoes again. "Yeah, well, I think I needed it just as much as you. So thank you for listening."

We headed out of the cafeteria a while later and Matt was kind enough to walk me to my locker. We talked about the Grill, school, the teachers and people that he knew in my different classes. It was nice to have a normal talk. It was very easy to talk to Matt.

I grabbed my books with one arm and as I used the other one to shut the locker I accidentally dropped them all on the floor. I bent down with a rush to pick them up but so did Matt and our heads smacked together.

"Ouch", I lifted my hand to my forehead with a groan. At the exact same moment Matt did the same think. We looked at each other and suddenly be both burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry," I said with a grimace after we finished laughing.

"No worries," Matt said. "I'm a football player, I'm used to being tackled." He smiled.

We picked up the books and got to our feet again.

"I should go in there before class", I said, turning towards the ladies room.

"Okay, see you in History."

I nodded and couldn't help but return the smile he gave me. I pushed open the door to the bathroom and walked over to the sinks. I looked at myself in the mirror and saw a slight blush linger on my cheeks. The smile on my face wouldn't go away. I shook my head.

"Okay Bella, pull yourself together," I reprimanded myself with a laugh as I let cold water pour over my hands. The sound of a toilet flushing made my whole body stiffen. Crap. The door to one of the toilet stalls opened and Caroline stepped out. My smile faded.

"Hi Bella, what's up?"  
>"Not much," I said before I had time to think.<p>

"Really? Just talking to yourself in the bathroom?"

I closed my eyes in embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess I am", I answered her and forced out a laugh.

"I do that all the time too," she said as she walked up to the sink next to mine.

I smiled gratefully at her and hoped that that would be the end of this conversation. I turned the faucet off and reached for a paper towel.

Caroline leaned close to the mirror and rubbed her finger in the corner of her left eye, getting rid of an invisible smudge of make-up. "Besides," she said. "I already know what's going on anyway."

I felt my whole body get cold and then the guilt crept up on me and I opened my mouth. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was just hanging out with my friend. Who happened to be the ex-boyfriend of my other friend. This was getting way too complicated.

"It's Chad, isn't it?" Caroline said before I had the chance to start stammering. Her voice was excited and I could almost swear that I heard a squeal in there. "I've seen the way he looks at you. He really likes you!"

I forced out a smile and suddenly all the tension disappeared. "Yeah. Yeah, it's Chad," I said nodding. I forced out a smile and this time I knew exactly what I felt guilty about.

"I knew it! Only a guy can make a girl blush like that." She winked at me. "I wanna know every little detail later!" She smiled and left the bathroom, clearly clueless about all the thoughts circling around in my head.

It was walking distance to the Gilbert house from the B&B, so I dropped my car off at home before I went to Elena's house to study. It took me twenty-five minutes to reach her house. I felt a little excited, and I was nervous. Not about studying, but about seeing Elena's house. She was the first friend I visited here in Mystic Falls. It felt strangely exhilarating and like a new step in my new life. I needed this. I needed normal. I walked up the steps and took a moment to admire the hammock on the front porch before I knocked on the door. What could possibly go wrong?


End file.
